Part SOLDIER, All Hero
by Rounin
Summary: *On hiatus* Zack starts to question his SOLDIER pride and honor, as well as his dream to become a hero, when he enters Hojo's lab and meets a certain person there. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Hi guys! This is my first Final Fantasy VII fic! It's based on Crisis Core...ok, I'll be honest with you...it is and it isn't. I'm going to tweak with the storyline a bit because as you know from reading my crappy summary, Zack and a certain someone meet (I don't want to give anything away, but you all probably know who this "certain someone" is, right). For now, the rating will be T, but I may have to raise it to M for future chapters. Your reviews, comments, and constructive criticism are always appreciated. So...hope you enjoy!:)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

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_**Alternate Mission**_

SOLDIER. The small, elite army of the mighty Shinra Electric Company in Midgar. They were considered as "the heroes" to children and "the protectors" of the peace.

But every citizen in Midgar knew that these SOLDIERs weren't normal and it was true indeed. Men who joined SOLDIER were infused with a thick, greenish liquid called Mako, thus giving them those "superhuman" abilities and their trademark…the sky-blue eyes.

Any man could join SOLDIER, but it was the Mako that determined them worthy of joining this elite force. The "surgery", as some members would call it, would not always succeed in transforming an ordinary man into one. Many times has the substance rejected the body, resulting in minor to severe Mako poisoning, coma, or even death. The Mako Surgery was the sole reason so many men refused to enlist.

Zack Fair was not one to refuse such a challenge…

Born in the tiny village of Gongaga, Zack grew up with his humble, poor family. His father made a living selling the fruit he would pick from the trees in the hills and his mother stayed at home, doing work around the house and their son helped them in any way he could.

Since the time Zack took his first steps as a toddler, his parents noticed that he had a habit of doing squats. Zack would be seen doing them all the time, whether he was up in the hills with his father or in the house with his mother. This amused his parents and they encouraged him to keep doing squats, but also to take caution not to overexert himself doing them.

Zack's countryboy days ended at the early age of eight when Shinra had arrived at his village to check on a malfunctioning Mako reactor. Several SOLDIER members accompanied by three Shinra infantrymen, trodded the barren path leading to the towering reactor located at the junkyard in the village. The reactor had been there since Zack's birth and his parents always cautioned him never to go anywhere near it.

Every villager retreated into their huts at the sight of the Shinra men; everyone except Zack, who was finishing his squats that morning. He stood from his last squat and stared at the visitors passing by the huts.

Worried that her son would be shot down by the Shinra, Mrs. Fair hurried out the door and ushered her son inside, telling him not to leave the house until the Shinra had gone. The youngster couldn't figure out why his mother and the rest of the village feared these people so much, but he obeyed his mother and watched them from the window of his bedroom.

After that morning, Zack was allowed back outside to finish his squats. He was about ready to continue from where he left off when something shiny caught his eye. As he picked the object up, his eyes immediately widened with joy and a huge grin spread across his face.

He found a Shinra dog-tag! The company's emblem was painted on the back and when he turned it over, the words _Angeal Hewley, SOLDIER 1__st__ Class _were engraved on its sleek metal.

From that day on, Zack eagerly wanted to abandon the country life and join the prestigious SOLDIER army. At first, his parents wouldn't hear of it, telling him that it was not worth his life to join that corrupted Shinra Company. But after a year of incessant nagging, Zack's parents finally gave in and sent a written letter to the Shinra, informing them of their son's interest in their SOLDIER program.

Shinra, of course, wrote back to them saying that Zack was welcome to join SOLDIER, as long as he met their requirements. Attached to the letter was an application which they handed over to their son.

Zack read the application the following morning and signed the agreements, policies, and medical forms. By lunchtime, the application was already on its way to Midgar, sealed in a Shinra business envelope.

Three days later, several Shinra infantrymen arrived at the Fairs' hut to take Zack to Midgar. After bidding a tearful farewell to his parents, Zack followed the soldiers to a waiting helicopter outside the village.

From the time of his arrival at Midgar, Zack never failed to impress the people around him. At the young age of nine, he survived the Mako surgery everyone came to fear. In two years time, he passed the rigorous training at the SOLDIER academy which normally took four years for the average SOLDIER rookie to complete.

He quickly rose up the ranks and was promoted to SOLDIER, 2nd Class at the young age of sixteen. During his time in SOLDIER, he met with the owner of the Shinra dog-tag he had found in Gongaga. Zack met Angeal during his first mission as a 3rd class. Ever since, Angeal had taken Zack under his wing, teaching him not only useable skills for use in future missions and battles, but also teaching him the ways of a true SOLDIER.

_"Embrace your dreams. And whatever happens, you must protect your SOLDIER honor and pride." _Angeal always made it a habit to recite those words to Zack at least once, if not, twice each day. Sometimes, it drove Zack nuts, but he knew it would benefit him later on in life.

Dreams? Zack had one dream...and that dream was to one day become a hero like the great Sephiroth. Zack heard of him from a fellow rookie back at the academy. He also heard stories like how the Great Sephiroth could kill a multitude of beasts with a single strike or how he completed difficult missions without a single scratch on his body.

Although Zack never failed to impress those around him, he had one major weakness; his lack of focus. At the age of sixteen, Zack was still a kid at heart. Often times he became restless when he wasn't immediately given a mission within three days, and he had the attention span of a pea, earning him the nickname "Zack the Puppy". Following orders _correctly_ was already hard enough for Zack and if Angeal wasn't around with a stern reminder of the importance of focus, the whole mission would be a train-wreck, resulting in confusion, and possibly a failed mission, and SOLDIERs knew that Director Lazard did not take a failed mission lightly.

Nevertheless, Zack the Puppy never backed down from a mission issued to him...until now.

"What kind of a mission is that?"

Zack was in the SOLDIER Director's Office standing in front of the Director's desk. Lazard was sitting behind it, his eyes glued to the computer screen at the moment, which was showing Zack's mission briefing. Angeal stood a few feet behind Zack, leaning against another desk with his arms crossed.

"I'm sorry Zack, but after the last mission in Wutai, which may I remind, _you _screwed up had made matters worse and I don't want another load of paperwork sitting at my desk in the near future."

"You mean this?" Angeal asked, picking up and reading one of the reports from Unit B of the Shinra army, stating that SOLDIER did not follow procedure to infiltrate, resulting in casualties.

Zack whirled around "Whose side are you on anyway?" Lazard cleared his throat to get Zack's attention.

"As I was saying, you are to report to Hojo of the Shinra Science Department and aide him in some research."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Zack huffed. "Are you giving this mission to me as a punishment for failing the previous one?!"

"Perhaps." Lazard answered casually. At hearing this, Zack slammed his hands down on the desk, startling the Director.

"Ok, I screwed up one stupid mission-"

"A mission that was vital to this war we're currently having with Wutai." Angeal cut in.

Zack rolled his eyes before looking directly back at Lazard. "Could you just let it slip by? Just this once?"

Lazard stood from his chair, locking his eyes with Zack's. "Did you not just hear Angeal? That mission was supposed to help increase our chances of ending the war with Wutai, not decrease it." He walked over to a bookshelf, pulled out several books, and walked towards Zack, handing them over.

"Now I suggest you head to the 66th floor. Hojo doesn't like to be kept waiting. And make sure you give him those books when you see him."

"Of all the missions!" Zack grumbled as he walked away and toward the elevator to the hall on the far right of the office. Angeal and Lazard watched with some amusement as he fumbled in his pants pocket for his keycard while trying to balance the pile of books with one hand.

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Thanks for reading!:) To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

All right! Here we go with the second chapter! Honestly, I'm not so sure about that whole story in Final Fantasy VII about Aerith and the Promised Land so please don't hesitate to tell me if anything in this chapter seems inaccurate. As always, your reviews, comments, and constructive criticism are appreciated. So...hope you enjoy!:)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

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**_The Specimen_**

Hojo looked up from his clipboard as the elevator door opened, revealing Zack trying to balance his stack of books as he returned the keycard to his pocket. As he stepped out, he tripped on a cord running across the floor and fell. The books now lay around him in a mess.

"So this is the famous 2nd Class SOLDIER Lazard said he'd send to me." Hojo said as he looked at Zack sprawled on the floor. "Pitiful. Just pitiful I say!"

"So, are you Hojo, the head of the Shinra Science Department?" Zack asked, picking himself up and retrieving the books laying around him.

Hojo chuckled and looked at his clipboard once again. "I'm a bit surprised you do not remember me at all, SOLDIER."

"Huh?" Zack looked up with that confused look on his face, scratching the back of his head with his free hand.

"You're that same boy who survived that Mako Surgery years ago. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't remember me at all."

Zack continued looking at him, scratching the back of his head. Hojo was starting to get annoyed.

"Just bring those books over to my desk, you moron!" Zack got up from kneeling and carried the books over to the desk. He gave a sigh of relief as he put the books down with a heavy THUD on the wooden desk.

They had only met for two minutes and Zack was already trying Hojo's patience.

"You are hopeless, SOLDIER boy!" The scientist walked over to another desk and unlocked a small cabinet with a silver key, taking out a keycard from it.

"Let's get started with research before you start destroying my lab. First, I want you to go to the 67th floor right above us. Retrieve the specimen from the detention cell. It's being held in cell 01." Hojo explained, handing the keycard to Zack.

Zack took the keycard with a trembling hand. _"He wants me to retrieve a specimen by myself? What if I die trying to get that thing out of the cell? Shouldn't there be another SOLDIER operative to aide me in this?"_

"Are you afraid?" Hojo asked as if he had read all of Zack's thoughts by looking at his hand. "You'll never be a 1st Class SOLDIER if you can't handle a simple task such as this!"

Those words stung Zack like a bee. "You take that back, old man!" He marched past him and stood in front of the elevator, swiping the keycard. "I'm Zack Fair, SOLDIER 2nd Class!" When the doors opened, he stepped in, taking one last look at Hojo before the automatic door blocked him from view.

"And I'll make it to 1st Class!"

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"How did I get in this mess?"

A sixteen year old girl named Aerith lay on the cot, staring up at the ceiling. Playing with the strands of her chestnut brown hair, she looked around her cold, metal prison. It was pretty empty except for the light fixture on the ceiling, the cot that she was currently lying on, and a toilet and sink in one corner of the room.

It had been two days since she was captured by the Shinra and brought here. Aerith could picture her mother, Elmyra, crying at the dining table.

"Mother must be sick with worry by now." the girl sighed, trying to hold back her tears. "Don't worry, mother. I'll be home soon."

But Aerith knew she would not be coming home anytime soon. All her life, the Shinra Company had always been after her because she was a Cetra.

The Cetra, or the Ancients, were known to have the power to talk to the Planet and were rumored to be able to go to a place called Promised Land. The Shinra Company wanted this Promised Land for the Mako and upon finding out that she was the last surviving Cetra prompted them and that scientist, Hojo, to order her capture. Two days ago was his and the Shinra's lucky day...

_It had seemed to be a normal day for Aerith. She had been tending to the flowers in the abandoned church, pulling out weeds that stuck out here and there. Maybe it was just her being a Cetra, but the flowers had always bloomed nicely in this church. Even if she forgot to water them, they never wilted under the lack of water or Midgar's heavy pollution. _

_Aerith pulled out the last of the weeds, placing them in a small basket beside her. "That should do it. Now to head home to mother." She stood up, picking up her basket and walking towards the two huge doors of the church when they opened by themselves, revealing the familiar face of a certain Turk. Behind him were two Shinra soldiers and that madman, Hojo._

_"Well, get on with it, Tseng!" Hojo yelled at the Turk. Tseng gritted his teeth as he felt the ends of the Shinra soldiers' guns prodding him to go. Slowly, he walked towards Aerith, who took a step back in fear._

_"Tseng, what's going on? Why are the Shinra here?" _

_The Turk said nothing, but heard a clicking sound instead. He saw Aerith's eyes widening and he turned around to see the two Shinra soldiers aiming their guns at him._

_'Damn that Hojo! Tricking me into this!' Tseng thought as he faced Aerith. She was frozen to her spot, her emerald eyes filled with fear. The Turk sighed and walked past the flower girl, stopping right behind her and making a fist with his right hand, driving it right into a pressure point on her back._

_"I'm sorry, Aerith."_

_"Why...Tseng..."Aerith whimpered as she slumped to the ground, her vision darkening. She felt cold steel being placed around her wrists and the last thing she saw before she passed out were the leather boots of the Shinra soldiers. She also caught a glimpse of Hojo standing a few feet from them and smiling down at her with that eerie grin. _

Aerith wiped the tears from her face. Why did Hojo want her? He wasn't any part of the Shinra executives who wanted her to show them the way to the Promise Land so why did that old lunatic want her? He even went through drastic measures such as tricking Tseng to capture her, but she still couldn't figure out why.

The sound of footsteps outside her prison broke Aerith out of her thoughts. As she sat up, she could hear the footsteps getting closer and then stop. Aerith's heart was beating rapidly from fear as she watched the automatic door open slowly. From behind it stood a young man with wild, raven-black hair, wearing purple SOLDIER attire. He had his sword out and was in a battle stance, which made her nervous. Was he her executioner? She had only been here for two days and Shinra already wanted her dead? What were they thinking?

Zack looked at the girl in confusion. Was this the 'specimen' Hojo was talking about? He stepped back outside and checked the number of the cell. Sure enough, he had come to the detention cell numbered 01, just as Hojo had instructed him. Placing the sword on a magnetic metal clip on his back, Zack walked into the cell and gave Aerith another look, scratching the back of his head as he did so.

"Uh...so you're the 'specimen' Hojo wanted me to get?"

"E-excuse me?" Aerith asked, inching back against the wall. "Specimen?"

Zack stopped rubbing his head and crossed his arms. "Yeah. Hojo said I was supposed to pick up a specimen from detention cell 01. Would that be you?"

"Well, do you see anyone else in this room?" Aerith asked, offended. How dare he stand around calling her a 'specimen'? She wanted nothing more than to get up from her cot and slap him across the face, but she held her flaring temper, knowing that this man could immediately call for backup should she strike him even once.

Zack was taken back by the sudden outburst. "I-I'm sorry, miss! I didn't mean to offend you! I-I'm j-just following orders, sir...I-I mean, miss!"

Aerith's anger immediately vanished at seeing Zack acting funny. She gave a slight giggle at his antics. He seemed different from the other SOLDIERs she'd seen around.

"I'm sorry...again." Zack apologized, going back to scratching his head. "I won't call you that again. It's just...I was expecting one of those experiment monsters I fought a few days ago in Hojo's lab."

Aerith slipped into her shoes and stood up. "It's fine...uh..."

Zack extended a gloved hand. "Zack. Nice to meet you...uh..."

She giggled again before taking his hand with her own into a handshake. "Aerith." Her eyes fell on his belt, where those familiar cuffs hung. This caught Zack's attention.

"Huh? Oh, the chains." He unhooked them from his belt and held them up, taking a glance at the girl before looking back at the cuffs. Did he really have to put these on her?

"Here." Aerith said, breaking Zack out of his thoughts. She held her arms forward. "It's ok. I'm used to them already."

Immediately, Zack felt sympathy for her when he looked down at her arms. He could tell from the slightly bruised wrists that the Shinra guards had not been kind in taking her here. Sighing, he took her arms and looked directly at her, smiling.

"No. I don't want to ruin those pretty wrists of yours."

Aerith was lost for words. Was she hearing him right about not chaining her or was she going insane from being detained for two days? She watched as Zack let go of her and clipped the cuffs to his belt.

The ringing of a phone snapped her out of her thoughts. She giggled at seeing Zack's startled reaction and watched as he fished the phone out of his pants pocket and flipped it open, holding the device to his right ear.

"Zack speaking."

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, IDIOT!" Hojo screamed from the other line, making Zack wince. He held the phone at a distance from his ear as the scientist continued his outburst.

"DO YOU REALIZE I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR A GOOD TWENTY MINUTES?! YOU HAD BETTER COME BACK WITH THAT SPECIMEN WITHIN FIVE MINUTES OR I'LL REPORT YOU TO DIRECTOR LAZARD AND YOU'LL BE OUT OF SOLDIER BEFORE YOU CAN SAY YOUR NAME!"

Before Zack could answer, he heard a beep, meaning Hojo had already hung up. He flipped the phone closed and returned it to his pocket.

"I didn't know you were that popular, Aerith."

She giggled once again. "I didn't know either."

Zack smiled and motioned for her to follow him. "Well, let's get back to the lab before Hojo calls me back and I see flames shooting out of my phone."

Aerith, happy to be without restraints, walked out after him. Zack swiped his keycard to close the cell door and headed back to the lab with the girl.

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Thanks for reading!:) To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everybody! Thanks for the reviews! They've certainly made my day! Now without further ado, here's chapter three...enjoy!:)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy VII

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**_Aerith's Hero_**

As the elevator doors opened to Hojo's lab, Zack saw Hojo standing at his desk, reading one of the books that Zack had brought over earlier.

"You're late, SOLDIER."

Zack stepped out of the elevator. "Professor, you know I have a name, right?" Aerith followed and stood behind him, partially hidden from Hojo's view.

Hojo looked up from the book. "You're name is not of any importance, SOLDIER." His eyes fell upon the girl standing behind Zack. "I see you brought specimen AG01 here. Satisfactory work for a 2nd Class."

"Stop calling me SOLDIER! I told you my name!" Zack yelled. "And her name is Aerith, not 'specimen AG01'!"

Hojo ignored him as he closed the book he was reading and placed it on top of a stack of books. He walked over to the pair, grabbing the girl by the wrist and holding her chin up with the other hand.

"The eyes of a half-Cetra. This one is interesting, indeed. You'll make a fine specimen for my experiments."

Zack's blood boiled at hearing Hojo's words. He was ready to go and punch him in the face for treating Aerith like some lab rat, but he held back. If he struck the old man, he would be expelled from SOLDIER for sure.

As Hojo continued to look at Aerith, he noticed her avoiding his gaze.

"I'll teach you to defy me!" he hissed, shoving the girl against the wall. The hand around her wrist was now around her neck, strangling her. Hojo squeezed harder as he saw Aerith's hands trying to pry his fingers from her neck.

"Aerith!" Zack gasped as he inched closer to them, his gloved hand straying close to the hilt of his weapon...

"Don't make this any harder or you'll regret it!" Hojo yelled, slapping her across the face. Zack saw tears streaming down her face and from where he was standing, he could hear her starting to wheeze and cough from the lack of air. Her hands had stopped trying to pry Hojo's hand off and were now hanging limply by her sides. He grabbed the hilt of his sword, whipping it out and placing the steel tip against Hojo's neck.

"Let her go, Hojo, or else!"

Hojo continued to hold her by the throat. "Don't you dare meddle with my affairs, SOLDIER boy!" He felt the blade's cold steel against his neck.

"The moment I accepted this mission and stepped into this accursed lab, your affairs became _my_ affairs as well. So I suggest you let her go before I slice your head off!" Zack growled

Hojo pulled Aerith from the wall, threw her towards Zack, and hurried back to his desk. Zack dropped his balde and ran to catch the girl before her body hit the floor, sitting and holding her into a tight embrace as she sobbed into his shirt.

"It's ok, Aerith. I got you."

"Yes, I need backup. Now." Zack heard Hojo say. He looked in the direction of where the old man was standing, speaking on the phone. "I want your SOLDIER boy removed from my research and taken to Lazard." His heart sank at hearing those words. Now he'll never be able to protect Aerith from Hojo.

"Hmph. Consider packing up your things, SOLDIER boy!" Hojo said, flipping his phone close and returning it to his pants pocket. "I'll make sure you never see AG01 ever again! She's mine!"

"She's not yours! She doesn't belong to anybody!" Zack retorted, his Mako-filled eyes glaring at the scientist with hatred. "And this won't be the last time you'll see me, Professor Hojo! Mark my words!"

"Zack..." Aerith whispered, drawing her face away from his shirt and looking at him.

Zack looked at her tear-streaked face, but before he could utter a word, they heard a ding and the elevator door opened, revealing two Shinra guards and Angeal.

"Arrest this man!" Hojo demanded, pointing at Zack. "He has gotten in the way of my research and should be punished!"

Aerith sat up, fresh tears streaming down her face as the two guards took Zack by the arms and forced him on the floor. He never stopped looking at Aerith as the guards applied the cuffs to his wrists.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be ok." Zack assured her, grunting as one of the guards planted a leather boot on his back while the other applied chains to his ankles as well.

"Shut your mouth, Zack! You have no right to be speaking with anyone!" the guard, who was applying the chains, said.

"What's going on here?" Angeal asked, looking at the fuming scientist.

Hojo tried to control his flaring temper as he explained, pointing at Zack lying on the floor. "This man has meddled with my research! He threatened me with a weapon for examining my specimen!"

"You call strangling Aerith _examining_?" Zack interrupted. "You're lower than dirt!" He gritted his teeth as he felt one of the guards kick him on the side.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up!?"

"Professor Hojo." Angeal started, looking down at Zack. "I'll make sure Zack doesn't get in your way again."

Hojo walked over to his desk and retrieved his clipboard, staring at his notes. "He better not, or mark my words, SOLDIER will pay for his foolishness!"

"What do we do with the girl, sir?" the guard asked as he and his partner walked over to Aerith, standing behind her.

Hojo walked away from the group, sitting at his desk and taking another book from the stack. He waved a hand at them, motioning them to leave his lab at once.

Angeal pried Zack's sword off the floor and nodded to the guards holding Aerith. As the soldiers started leading the girl away, he walked over to Zack, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him away.

As the doors closed and the elevator began to descend to the 49th floor, Zack felt someone fumbling with his restraints. Turning his head, he saw the two guards unlocking the chains at his wrists and ankles and clipping them on their belts. He also saw Angeal releasing Aerith from her chains as well.

"Zack, I'm leaving the girl to you. Take her back to her cell and then report to the Briefing Room." he said, clipping the cuffs to his belt and returning the sword to him. "Here, this is yours."

"Thanks." Zack said as he stood up and took the blade from Angeal, securing it on his back.

The elevator door opened and Angeal stepped out, followed by the two Shinra guards. Zack remained in the elevator with Aerith, taking the keycard Hojo had given him and swiping it on the slot.

"Don't forget to report to the Briefing Room after you take her back to her cell, Zack." he heard Angeal say from the other side of the closing elevator door. Zack was staring down at the steel floor of the elevator as the elevator started to ascend towards the 67th floor. Orders were orders, but he wished he could take Aerith somewhere nice like that restaurant he saw on the 2nd floor. He was pretty sure Aerith didn't enjoy eating prison food at all. But how could he get her out of her cell, even if it only meant letting her out for an hour?

"So pretty..." Aerith mumbled, breaking Zack out of his thoughts. He stopped rubbing his head and looked up, seeing her standing and gazing at him. Hearing this, he chuckled and pointed at his face.

"The face?" he asked, grinning. She shook her head and giggled.

"No, the eyes!" Zack folded his arms and looked away, still grinning.

"You like them? Then take a closer look." he said, looking back at Aerith and leaning closer to her. "Eyes infused with Mako energy. A SOLDIER trademark!"

An akward silence followed as Aerith stood there, looking deep into Zack's sky-blue eyes. She looked away momentarily before looking back and giving Zack a playful shove on the arm

"Oh you!" she laughed, a tinge of pink beginning to show on her face. The elevator halted as it arrived at the 67th floor, its door opening to allow the pair to exit. As they walked down the corridor towards the detention cells, Zack couldn't help but laugh as he noticed Aerith avoiding his gaze. He placed his hands behind his head.

"What's so funny, Zack?" Aerith asked, looking at him. Once again, that silly grin was plastered on his face.

"Nothin'." he replied, turning his head away from her gaze and showing her his spiky hair. "Maybe you shouldn't look at me. It makes your face look like an apple!" Zack pretended to stumble slightly as Aerith gave him another playful shove.

"And I think you should stop look at me before you fall on your face from stumbling!" Both laughed at the comment, but the joy only lasted for a moment when they stopped in front of Aerith's cell. She watched as Zack took Hojo's keycard from his pants pocket and swiped it on the slot.

"Well, I guess this is a goodbye then." Aerith said casually, waving to Zack as she walked toward her cell. Zack watched, speechless, as she walked on. His thoughts went back to that moment back at the lab where he was holding her in his arms. How he wanted to go up and give her another embrace right now.

Before stepping foot into her cell, Aerith spun around, facing Zack. "Zack?" Immediately, she found herself staring at his sky-blue Mako eyes.

"Yeah?" She averted his gaze, looking down at the floor.

"I...I'd like to give you something before you leave." Zack looked at her, puzzled. Something to give him? She was a prisoner, so what was this 'something' she had in her possession?

Aerith walked over to him and leaned towards his face.

"This." she said, planting a kiss on his left cheek. Zack's body froze and his heart beating faster as her lips met his skin, but it only lasted for a few seconds until Aerith pulled away from her kiss and walked away, returning to her cell.

"Consider that as a thank-you gift for saving me back at the lab."

"N-no p-problem..." Zack stuttered, walking slowly to the keycard slot and swiping Hojo's keycard again. He stood there staring at her until the automatic cell door blocked her from his view.

"Aerith..." he said softly, bringing a gloved hand to his left cheek where she had kissed him.

In her cell, Aerith lay on her cot, listening as the sound of Zack's footsteps faded away. She sighed knowing that kissing him on the cheek wouldn't be enough to repay him for saving her from Hojo, but how could she possibly do so if she was Shinra's prisoner?

"I hope we meet again...Zack. Then, I'll get another chance to repay you...for saving me" she said, yawning and drifting off to sleep, exhausted from today's events...

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Thanks for reading!:) To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

Hi! I've finally managed to finish chapter four...sorry it took so long. As always, I appreciate your reviews, comments, and constructive criticism. And once again, I'd like to thank those who have already reviewed. Your reviews motivate me to keep writing!:) With that said, here is chapter four of my story...Enjoy!:)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy VII

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**_Honor_**

Angeal looked up from the paper he was reading in the Briefing Room as its automatic doors opened. Zack strode in, stopping next to his mentor.

"So, what'd you call me here for? Anything new with the war on Wutai?"

"Yes, actually." Angeal replied, handing the paper over when he finished reading. "We've been given another opportunity to end this war. The other day, Shinra troops spotted and managed to apprehend some Wutai scouts that were lurking about near Midgar. Their leader is currently being held in the detention cells on the 48th floor."

"So what does that have to do with the war in Wutai?" Zack asked, taking the paper and starting to read its contents. It was another mission briefing stating that he and Angeal were to go to Wutai with Units A and B of the Shinra Army, infiltrate the enemy's main base, and take out the leader of Wutai's Crescent Unit. Following the infiltration, Unit A would plant a bomb and destroy the base.

The silence that lingered in the room was broken as Angeal started drumming his fingers against the table's smooth glass. "Still don't see why we need to go to Wutai?"

Just as Zack finished reading the last sentence, he noticed a piece of blue paper attached to the mission briefing. Flipping the sheet over, he saw a SOLDIER Recommendation slip. On it, there was a check scrawled next to the words 'SOLDIER 1st Class'. Zack's eyes started to widen with joy as he read the following...

_I, Angeal Hewley SOLDIER 1st Class, recommend Zack Fair, SOLDIER 2nd Class, to 1st Class. He has shown exceptional work in his missions (even though he failed to comply with orders during the previous mission in Wutai) and has contributed enough of his efforts to SOLDIER and the Shinra Company to be classified as a 1st._

"Angeeeal!" Zack yelled happily as he went to embrace his mentor for recommending him. "I love you man! I-oof!" A gloved hand met his face as Angeal pushed him away.

"Don't make me regret this, Zack."

The young SOLDIER immediately stood at attention, a grin creeping across his face. His days as a SOLDIER 2nd Class were finally over!

"Keep the mission briefing, but give that recommendation sheet to me so I can take it to Director Lazard." Angeal ordered. "I'll give you approximately half an hour to get ready to leave for Wutai. You are dismissed."

Zack relaxed, separating the two sheets and handing the blue slip to his mentor. Giving a slight salute, he turned and headed for the door, but stopped just as he was about to step out. In his joy of becoming a 1st soon, he had completely forgotten to address the matter about Aerith! Zack shut his eyes and sighed in frustration. How could he have forgotten about protecting her from that crazed scientist?

Angeal, who had been watching him, retrieved the heavy Buster Sword from the corner of the room and approached Zack as he secured the weapon on his back.

"What's wrong?" he asked, snapping the young SOLDIER out of his thoughts. Zack let out a sigh and opened his eyes as he turned to face him. The silly grin he had on moments ago was all but gone now and had been replaced by seriousness.

"I was just thinking...What does Hojo want with Aerith anyway? And why the hell does he call her a 'specimen'?" Angeal's heart sank at hearing this. He knew Zack was going to ask him about the Ancient sooner or later...

"Please, Angeal. Tell me why Hojo is using Aerith." Zack pleaded as tears started to stroll down his face. "You know as much as I do that she doesn't deserve to sit in a cell or become Hojo's lab experiment." Angeal hated to lie to Zack, but he knew well enough that Hojo's project...or more specifically, _Project Cetra_, was all confidential. The only people who knew of Project Cetra were Hojo, President Shinra, Tseng, Director Lazard, and the 1st Class SOLDIERs. President Shinra had warned them that if even a _breath_ of information gets to any other Shinra employee who was not involved in the project , they would all be punished severely.

"Honestly Zack..." Angeal started, sighing and shaking his head. How he hated hiding the truth from a fellow SOLDIER member, but his orders from the President were clear. "I don't know what the Shinra or Hojo want with that girl, but I do know that it's personal and we have no business in meddling with their affairs. Don't worry about her, Zack. Just do your job and-" He stopped mid-sentence as Zack's fist met his nose, causing him to stumble backwards. He held a hand to his nose as small streams of blood started to flow out and drip onto the steel floor.

"Personal?! None of our business!?" Zack asked, his voice rising in anger. "Hojo _strangled_ Aerith and you, out of all people, expect me to ignore that and get on with my life?! Her life's at _stake _here, Angeal! You always told me that it was in my honor to help those in need, especially if their life was in danger! If that's the case, then where the hell's _yours_?!"

With one hand holding his broken nose, Angeal clutched the hilt of the Buster Sword strapped to his back. "Zack, let me tell you something..." Lifting the sword, he held it up and pointed it at Zack. "You see this sword? This sword represents my family's pride and honor."

Zack remained silent as he stared at the tip of the Buster Sword, which was inches away from his face.

"True. It is in your honor to help those in need." Angeal continued, lowering his sword. "But it is also in your honor to keep your nose out of things that don't concern you!" At hearing this, Zack's eyes closed and clenched his fist.

"You really don't get it do you, Angeal?" he asked, turning away and facing the open door. "You say that Buster Sword's your family's pride and honor, right? Well...you just broke your family's honor by breaking your own!" With those words, Zack stepped out of the Briefing Room and the automatic door closed behind him.

Angeal was left in the room, slightly stunned by his words as he stood frozen to the spot. Zack may have just broken a rule in SOLDIER by striking him, but he knew he had every right to do so. Having honor and pride meant helping those in need, even if you had to put your career...or maybe your life, on the line. With the other hand still on his broken nose, Angeal lifted the flat part of the Buster Sword towards him until his forehead met its cold steel and closed his eyes.

"Mother...father, please forgive me for breaking our family pride and honor."

* * *

Curled up under a thin, tattered blanket, Aerith had been sleeping peacefully since her return from Hojo's lab. As she slept, the door of her cell slowly opened, causing some of the bright light from outside to enter the slightly dimmed cell.

"Is it morning already?" Aerith muttered, pulling the blanket over her head and turning away from the light. Half-awake, she could make out the sounds of footsteps followed by the cot sinking under more weight. The bright light slowly disappeared as she heard the cell door close again. Who was in here, disturbing her from her sleep?

"Zack?" she asked, throwing the blanket off and rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Are you all right, Aerith?" the mystery person asked. Aerith's eyes widened with shock as she heard that familiar voice. As she sat up, her eyes fell upon a man in a blue suit...

"Tseng!" she gasped, scooting up against the wall in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"Just came here to...talk." the Turk replied.

"There's nothing to talk about, Tseng!" Aerith said coldly. "So I suggest you just go and leave me be!" Tseng averted her gaze.

"I understand I have some explaining to do and-" He stopped mid-sentence as Aerith slapped him across the face.

"Explaining?" Aerith asked, watching Tseng bring a hand to his stinging cheek. "You don't have to explain anything because it's all clear to me that you're in league with Hojo!"

"No, Aerith. It's not what it looks like!" the Turk retorted, his eyes meeting hers. "I'm not working for Hojo!"

"Really? Then why were you there with Hojo when he captured me!?"

Tseng clenched his fists at the thought. Because of Hojo, he had to be the one to capture Aerith and betray her trust! "Ok, but you have to promise not to interrupt me."

"All right...I promise not to interrupt." Aerith said as she started to crinkle the edge of her blanket. Still rubbing his cheek, Tseng exhaled before beginning his story...

_Tseng was at his desk on the 71st floor, reading several documents related to Gongaga's malfunctioning reactor when a knock was heard from his office door. It was probably President Shinra wanting to make another demand of going after the anti-Shinra group, AVALANCHE. Personally, he was tired of barging into random peoples' houses and searching for "evidence" of the rebel group's whereabouts._

_"Come in." he said, returning the documents he was reading in a manila folder marked 'Construction Projects'. Surprisingly, the visitor turned out to be Hojo, the head of the Shinra Science Department._

_'Oh no...This is probably about Aerith...Did he find out that I let her escape the other day?' Tseng thought as he eyed scientist warily. He could never tell what's going on through that twisted mind of his..._

_"So, Turk." Hojo started, holding up his clipboard. "I'm going to need your help today. But first, you must come to my lab on the 66th floor."_

_"What for?" Tseng asked. "I'm no scientist so why are you asking me to aid you in your research?" Deep down, Tseng was somewhat relieved that Hojo didn't come here to talk about Aerith. But he couldn't shake off another feeling of his...The feeling of something terrible happening._

_Hojo chuckled. "No, no. I'm not asking you to aid me in research! What I want for you to do is to go to the Storage Sample Chambers on the 67th floor and retrieve a sample." Tseng didn't like the eerie smile that crept across the man's face, but he kept a casual face as he stood up and walked around his desk._

_"All right. I'll go down there right now, but I'd like to ask you one thing." Immediately, he found himself looking into Hojo's cold gaze._

_"What is it, Turk?"_

_"Well..." Tseng cleared his throat. "I was just wondering why you ask me to retreive your sample when we have so many scientists here at Shinra. Shouldn't you be asking them, not me?"_

_Hojo laughed at this. How Tseng hated that laugh!_

_"My assistants are cowards! They refuse to go near the cell where my sample is being held. Even if I give them a tranquilizer gun, they still refuse to go, saying that it's just way to dangerous!"_

_Tseng could sense something fishy with Hojo's reason, but he shrugged the feeling off. "All right, but if that thing attacks me, I will be forced to open fire on it. Understood?"_

_Hojo walked out of the office and towards the elevator. "That's why I asked you to do the job." Tseng was puzzled by his words, but he followed the scientist into the elevator. When they reached the 67th floor, both men stepped out and walked down the corridors. The Turk looked around cautiously as they entered a dark room. _

_"Hojo, what's the deal? Turn the lights on!" he demanded, pulling his gun out of its holster. Nearby, he could hear Hojo cackle and a few clicks which sounded like it was coming from a gun..._

_"Drop your weapon! Now!" he heard, squinting as the lights were turned on. When his eyes became accustomed to the lights, he was shocked to see four Shinra troops surrounding and pointing their guns at him. He didn't notice a fifth soldier standing behind him who was unhooking his wooden baton from the belt..._

_Hojo was standing next to a tank-sized sample test tube, taking out his phone and flipping it open. "I can't believe you fell for something like this, Turk! And I thought Turks had at least a portion of their brains to think!"_

_Tseng was about to ask him about the phone when his own cellular device rang. As he reached for it in his back pocket, a wooden baton met a pressure point on the back of his head followed by a few electrical jolts coursing through his body. His vision began to blur as his limp body hit the floor. The last thing he saw were the Shinra soldiers lowering their weapons and Hojo, who was standing behind them..._

"And when I came to, I was sitting in a Shinra helicopter with Hojo and two of those soldiers." Tseng said, finishing his tale. "Aerith, I hope you understand why I was there with Hojo...I'm sorry about everything."

Aerith smiled and nodded in response. "It's ok, Tseng. I understand...and I'm sorry too...for misunderstanding."

Tseng checked his watch. It was exactly 3:00pm, meaning he had to be in a meeting with the President and the executives in the Conference Room on the 70th Floor. "Aerith, I must get going, but I'm glad we could talk. And once again, I'm sorry I couldn't keep you from Hojo."

"Tseng, it's perfectly fine." Aerith said. "Thank you for clearing things out with me. I knew that you were a man of your word so I was just a bit surprised when I saw you with Hojo at the church." The Turk stood up and walked started heading towards the cell door when the girl's giggling stopped him in his tracks.

"Aerith, what's so funny?" he asked, turning to face her. She shook her head.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just when you apologized for not being able to keep me from Hojo, I instantly thought of a certain person." At hearing this, Tseng walked away from the door and sat back on the cot.

"And who, may I ask, is this certain person you thought of?"

Aerith giggled again. "He's in SOLDIER...Sometimes, he can be a bit clumsy... and forgetful, but he's strong-willed, kind, and funny. He managed to save me from Hojo earlier today."

Tseng nearrowed his eyes at hearing the scientist's name. "Tell me what he did to you at the lab!" Immediately, the joy in her face was replaced by sadness as she looked down and started crinkling the material of her blanket.

"Well, when we got out of the elevator, Hojo went over to...examine me. He started to strangle me when he noticed that I was looking away from him, and when I refused to give in to his demands, he started to slap me. That's when Zack saved me by pointing his sword at the Professor and threatening him with it. He let go of me, but he called backup and we were both taken to the elevator by this other SOLDIER and two Shinra soldiers. The other SOLDIER was nice enough to tell his men to release Zack from his chains. He ordered Zack to take me back here."

"I see." Tseng said coldly, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. Tricking him to capture Aerith was one thing, but for that scientist to go and hurt the girl was a completely different matter. Hojo will surely pay for all this...

"Tseng?" Aerith asked, noticing the knuckles on the Turk's fists turning white from the lack of proper blood circulation. "Is something wrong?"

The Turk stood up and headed for the door, stopping right in front of it as it opened for him. "Aerith, what does this 'Zack' look like? You said he was in SOLDIER, correct?"

Aerith's heart sank. Was there something wrong about what she told him? Why did he want to know about Zack all of a sudden? "Um, he wears a dark purple SOLDIER uniform and he has wild...raven-black hair." She watched as he stepped out of the cell and turned around to punch several numbers on the keypad next to the keycard slot.

"I'll be sure to thank Zack if I see him around." he said as the door slowly closed. Before Tseng was blocked completely from view, Aerith caught a glimpse of a smile creeping across his face. When his footsteps faded, she lay back in her cot and pulled the blanket over her.

"Tseng, you can be pretty funny at times." she sighed, drifting back to her much-needed sleep.

* * *

Thanks for reading:) To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Hello everyone! Yes, I'm back and sorry for the long update! Just a little sidenote, my updates will tend to get longer since school will start soon meaning I'm going to have less time to be on the computer so as Zack said to Aerith in Crisis Core... "I'm sorry, but duty calls!" Duty called for me when school started...lol:p

Anyways, I ran into a bit of into a writer's block with this story, but all is good now...hopefully. With that said, I'd like to thank those of you who have reviewed (especially to kitfoxpup fo her looong reviews! You get a chocolate-chip cookie for that one:p) As always, your kind reviews are appreciated!

Oh and with my last chapter...I don't know if any of you noticed it, but I forgot that the Nibelheim incidents couldn't really happen if Cloud, Zack, and Sephiroth were never at Nibelheim so I changed it. Just thought you'd all know...and now without further ado, here's the fifth chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy VII

* * *

**_Problem in Wutai_**

Raiding Fort Tamblin in Wutai proved quite a challenge to Zack at first when Angeal ordered him to infiltrate the fort from the front gates meaning he had to take out a large platoon of Wutai soldiers to get through. After finding several weaknesses in the enemy's armor, he managed to take them all down and was now winding his way through the fort's maze-like corridors.

The Wutai were infuriated when they found out that a single man from Shinra had taken down a number of their army. Immediately, all Wutai units and anti-Shinra monsters were dispatched to find and bring down the young SOLDIER.

Zack, however, was hardly breaking a sweat fighting the Wutai troops that came his way. On the contrary, he was having the time of his life fighting the Wutai and proving himself to Shinra. 1st Class was within his reach and he wasn't about ready to let anything get in the way of attaining it...

Another Wutai soldier let out a cry as Zack finished him off with another sword swing. Blood was everywhere and its stench began to wreak around the blood-stained walls of the fort. The sights and smells of the red, oozing substance everywhere were causing Zack to become nauseous. He even vomited several times, leaving mushy puddles of what he had for dinner onto the pavement.

Placing a hand on a pillar nearby and leaning against it for support, Zack took a few moments to allow his stomach to stabilize. Fighting was going to get harder from here on out since he had just emptied the contents of his stomach several times, but he needed to impress Director Lazard so he could get his long-awaited promotion.

_'Embrace your dreams. And whatever happens, you must protect your pride and honor as SOLDIER!'_

Zack tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. What would Angeal know of dreams, pride, and honor? He just broke his own by refusing to help him protect Aerith from Hojo! Since their meeting in the Briefing Room back at Shinra HQ, Zack hadn't spoken to Angeal at all except when he had to address him with the usual "Sir!" or when he had to report to him...

"There he is! Get him!"

Zack's thoughts were broken as he spun around to see four more Wutai soldiers charging towards him with their lances held out in front of them. Behind them on a rooftop stood two more of their men, hoisting their lances on their shoulders and letting the bullets fly. Ever since the start of the war, the Wutai managed to upgrade their weapons to a two-in-one weapon they called a gun-lance. These gun-lances allowed them to do close combat or simply shoot at the enemy from afar.

Pushing all his thoughts aside, Zack wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stood there watching them with a smug look. Strangely, even his stomach had stopped churning and that queasy feeling he had moments ago was all but gone now. Zack silently thanked the Shinra medics who had administered the Mako injections during their helicopter ride to Wutai. The Mako that was running through his body was allowing him to recover faster.

"Heh! Bring it on, Wutai morons!" he yelled, going into a battle stance. "You can't take me down!" Each Wutai troop fell under a single sword slash and the two that were on the rooftop were easily taken down with two Fire spells. Zack grinned, twirling the sword in victory and securing the weapon on his back.

"Ok, I think I've rested enough. Time to head to the central area!" He started jogging down the maze-like path leading to the courtyard. Soon, the huge red doors of the courtyard were visible from a distance.

"Good. Almost there." Zack huffed as he went into a run. "These are the doors that Angeal told us about right? Huh?" He stopped in his tracks as he heard his phone ring.

Taking it out, he flipped it open and placed the device to his ear. "Zack speaking!"

"It's me, Director Lazard. I have to say, Zack, I'm impressed. You managed to eliminate the Wutai troops in the area surrounding the courtyard."

Zack was finding it hard to contain the joy that was welling up inside of him. "Hey, that's what SOLDIERs do best!"

"Yes...anyways, your next objective is to eliminate the Crescent Unit. They are the elite force of the Wutai so if we take them down, the enemy will have no chance of winning this for sure. I'm counting on you to bring them down for me. If you can do this, I will consider that recommendation Angeal handed me.

"Okay, I'll bring them down before you know it!" Zack laughed. "Nothing can stop me once my sword is in my hand!"

"Good, good. I like your attitude, Zack. Oh, and I'd like to inform you further about the infiltration. Shortly after we left Midgar yesterday morning, one of the Shinra infantrymen in Wutai called me and reported that Genesis has gone missing."

Zack's jaw dropped at hearing this. "What? You mean 1st Class SOLDIER...Genesis?"

"Yes...And according to the infantryman, he was last seen on the trail to Fort Tamblin accompanied by a few 2nd and 3rd Class SOLDIERs fighting a pair of anti-SOLDIER monsters. Some Shinra infantrymen were killed trying to fend off the monsters so Genesis and his team had to step in to help and he told the two surviving infantrymen to run for it while they handled the attackers."

"So...what happened after that?" Zack asked anxiously.

"The infantryman who reported to me was one of the survivors and he said that he and his partner returned to the site where Genesis and his men were last seen. Neither men could find any traces of Genesis or the other SOLDIER members whatsoever, but the two anti-Shinra monsters were still alive. Fortunately before any of them were killed, Sephiroth and a few SOLDIERs arrived and managed to kill the beasts."

Zack remained silent as sudden thoughts rushed through his head. Why couldn't Genesis and his men take care of those monsters? From the rumors that he had heard about the 1st Class SOLDIER back at Midgar, Genesis had a fighting style similar to Sephiroth's meaning he could take out his enemies with one single strike as well. If those rumors were true, then why couldn't he dispose of two simple monsters?

"For now, we are to assume that Genesis and his men have been captured by the Wutai, so tread carefully. With that said, head down to the courtyard as planned and take down the Crescent Unit." Lazard continued. "If you spot Genesis and/or those 2nd and 3rd Class SOLDIERs, contact me or Angeal immediately. Do not fight them, Zack. This mission has now been labeled as an infiltration/rescue mission and I don't plan to lose a group of our SOLDIERs tonight. That includes you as well. I'm counting on you and Angeal to bring Genesis and his men back safely."

"Understood, Director. I'll be on my way now." Zack said, flipping his phone close and returning it to his pocket as he started to run towards the doors leading to the courtyard.

"Genesis, hang in there...wherever you are!"

* * *

A Shinra infantryman was wandering around the corridors of the fort. He got lost after seeking out some Wutai troops who had mysteriously "disappeared" and it made him wonder how they could simply vanish after running towards a wall. What he didn't know was that this Wutai fort had hidden revolving walls which the Wutai troops used to escape from enemies or ambush them unexpectedly.

Little did he know, he was going to get a demonstration on how to use them...

On the other side of the wall was a young ninja named Yuffie Kisaragi. At the age of nine, she was already undergoing rigorous training with the elite Crescent Unit but her reason for being at Fort Tamblin tonight was not to attack the Shinra...

It was for the Materia...

Yuffie had always loved being around the bright, glowing orbs of condensed Mako energy. Ever since the start of the war with Shinra, Yuffie had started "gathering" them since her hometown lacked the proper technology to transform the Mako stones they would find into Materia. Their wars with Shinra always happened at the forts which were located at the outskirts of Wutai and that's where she always went to pilfer, or in her terms, "gather" the orbs.

Happily, Yuffie dashed behind a pillar and sat down on the pavement to take a break. Unlatching a small bag from her belt clip, she opened it and took a look at what she got from the Shinra tonight.

_"Hmm..."_ Yuffie thought as she counted them. _"I took five from those morons and all I got was nothing but basic Materia! Fire, Thunder, Blizzard, Dash, and Cure! Well, I have a ton of these in my room already so might as well just hand them over to the Crescent Unit later_."

"Where did those two Wutai troops go?"

The unfamiliar voice broke the girl from her thoughts and her head snapped up in surprise. Closing the bag and latching it back on her belt, Yuffie stood up and went in front of a revolving wall beside her. She could hear footsteps and the familiar Shinra sound; the sound of heavy equipment noisily clattering inside their backpacks.

"He's by himself!" she whispered, pulling herself away from the wall and looking at the stickers with the Wutai's emblem plastered all over the revolving trap. "Shinra's going to mourn for their loss...of troops and valuable Materia!" Immediately, her hand touched a green sticker which activated the wall. As it started moving, Yuffie jumped and held on the ledge which was created by the wall as it stopped halfway during rotation.

At seeing the wall start to move, the Shinra troop jumped to the side and aimed his gun at the revolving wall. "W-who's there!" Silence followed his question and he was starting to feel nervous at the thought of being ambushed by a score of Wutai troops. He approached the wall and realized that it led to another corridor in the fort.

"Whoa...it's kinda like a secret tunnel the Wutai's use to get around here." he said, entering the makeshift tunnel on the right. Fortunately, Yuffie was hanging on the wall on the left so the soldier never saw her as he continued to inspect the revolving wall in awe.

_"Time to get some precious Materia!"_ Yuffie thought as she let go of the ledge and silently followed the Shinra troop from behind. Taking out a pea-sized smoke bomb from her vest pocket, she rolled it on the ground. Smoke started emitting from it, encasing both her and the soldier in it.

"What the-" the Shinra troop coughed, as he tried to see through the smoke. Yuffie had already reached for the Materia which were in the side pocket of the backpack. She smirked as she ran out of the smoke, leaving the soldier coughing in it, and activated the wall again by touching a blue sticker. The smoke started to dissipate as the wall moved.

The soldier opened his eyes as he felt the wall push him. As it closed, he looked around and surprisingly found Unit A and Angeal from a distance. They were waiting in front of the big red doors leading to the central area of the fort.

"Hey, you!" Angeal called out to him, spotting him with his keen eyes. "What are you doing all the way there and where in Shinra's name were you!?"

He looked around and shrugged. "I don't know, sir. I was just following some Wutai troops because they had mysteriously disappeared." Angeal patted the Captain of his unit on the shoulder and approached the infantryman.

"Disappeared? Oh, you mean the revolving walls. You didn't know about that?" The soldier shook his head slowly.

"No, sir. I didn't know about the revolving walls in this fort." Angeal stopped in front of one and stroked his chin.

"Hmm...Didn't know, eh? Just out of curiousity, you're name's Wedge correct?" The infantryman jumped slightly at hearing that, but nodded.

"Yes, sir. My name's Wedge...sir."

Angeal shook his head and sighed. "Wedge, tell me if I am wrong, but you were the one that wanted to join SOLDIER, correct?"

"Y-yes, sir!" Wedge stuttered. Deep inside, he felt like hiding somewhere because he knew what Angeal was going to lecture him on...

"What a shame. A young infantryman did not listen to orders and got separated from his group by following two Wutai troops." Angeal said, turning to face him. Wedge was thankful that he had his helmet on as he averted the SOLDIER's stern gaze.

"You will never make it to SOLDIER if you can't focus. Even Zack can focus better. If you want to be in SOLDIER, then you better start proving yourself tonight." With those words, Angeal walked away and returned to Unit A where the Captain was standing by waiting for his order.

Wedge stood frozen to his spot. He couldn't believe Angeal had just said that to him. While it was true that he lacked a bit of focus like Zack, Wedge was angry at the fact that Angeal was comparing him to that blockhead of a SOLDIER! He made a mental note on challenging Zack when he got back from Wutai. He was going to prove to the Shinra that he was worthy of being in the elite group!

"Wedge! We don't have all day!" he heard Angeal call out. Looking up, Wedge saw the platoon waiting for him to get over to the doors. Wedge reloaded his rifle and ran to the group as the big red doors opened...

* * *

Zack gritted his teeth as he fought three of Wutai's elite force...the Crescent Unit. Even though there were only three of them, they proved to be quite a challenge as they blocked almost all his attacks and struck back with brute force. Fortunately for the SOLDIER, they wielded the same weapons like the normal Wutai troops.

"Are you willing to stay on the side that murders innocents?" the leader of the trio asked as he jabbed his gun-lance at Zack.

"What are you talking about!?" Zack retorted, blocking the attack with his sword. "The Shinra are just trying to make people's lives better! That's why we came here to negotiate, but you guys attacked without hearing us out!"

"Heh! You're so naive, boy!" his companion said, hoisting his weapon on his shoulder. "You think the Shinra are helping people out?"

The Captain jumped out of the way as Zack cast Fire. "He cannot be persuaded. I was wrong to think that I could persuade them to side with us." His temper flared at seeing one of his soldiers fall under Zack's sword. "If that is what you think, boy, then prepare to die at the hands of the Crescent Unit! Tonight, the Wutai will prevail and the Leviathan will smite our enemies!"

"Damn you all!" Zack yelled as the other Wutai soldier fell to his Blizzard attack. The young SOLDEIR cried out in pain as the leader's lance struck him across the back, throwing him to the ground. His eyes watched as the lance was jabbed at him and he rolled away, causing the steel tip to cut his arm.

Jumping up, Zack cast Fire again and knocked the lance out of the Captain's hands. It fell in the small water shrine behind him where the statue of the Leviathan stood. Before he knew it, a Blizzard attack landed on his body causing him to fall to the ground. The fight was over when he felt his own weapon being held at his throat.

"Finish me." he sighed. Zack stood there for a moment, staring down at his fallen opponent. His orders were to eliminate the Crescent Unit, but the guy was unarmed and helpless.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked, breaking his thoughts. Without a word, Zack withdrew the lance, stabbed the ground, and started walking away.

"Why don't you finish me?" he asked a second time. Zack stopped and shrugged.

"Not in the mood...I guess."

"As long as we continue to breathe, we will go after the Shinra and mark my words, I will have your head one day." Zack started walking towards the arena.

"Then I'll be waiting." The Captain was speechless as he watched the young SOLDIER walk away.

_"You got guts, kid!" _His eyes noticed a lone figure standing atop one of the massive statues near the arena. _"What is she doing here? She may be training with us, but she's still a kid!"_

Zack reached the steps leading to the arena...

"One: Avoid unecessary training!" an unfamiliar voice called out to him. He whirled around as his eyes searched for the source of the voice.

"Two: Protect Wutai at all costs!" the mystery person continued. Zack faced the arena again to see if the person was standing in front of it. Without making a sound, Yuffie jumped off the statue and landed safely behind him.

"Three: Ugly Shinra dudes..." Zack turned again and took a step back in surprise.

"Must be PUNISHED!" Yuffie finished with a grin.

_"A kid? What's a kid doing in a fort like this?" _Zack thought, scratching the back of his head. The girl placed her hands on her hips.

"If you want to go any further, you'll have to get by me first!"

Zack couldn't believe what he just heard. _"You're nuts, kid."_

"Now you shall feel the mighty wrath of the Wutai!" she yelled, charging towards him.

"A kid like you shouldn't be here. Go home to your parents." Zack scolded, but Yuffie ignored him as she continued running towards him. She stopped within a few feet from him and delivered lightning-speed punches to...the air.

"Pow! Wham! Take that Shinra!" Zack was finding this amusing as he watched her fists fall a few inches short of his torso. _"Oh, boy. I guess I'll just have to play along with her little game." _

"Ow! No! Please have mercy!" he begged, pretending to be injured as he crouched down and placed his hands on his head. Yuffie stopped her "fists of fury" and gave him that silly grin once again.

"Hah! See? The Wutai have prevailed once again. That'll learn ya!" Zack slowly stood and watched in confusion as the girl turned heel and ran from him, disappearing as she went behind a wall.

"Boy, you gotta admire that kid's energy! Well...back to work, I guess." With that said, he turned around and headed up the steps and inside the arena...

* * *

Angeal and Unit A were already in the central area, looking for signs of Genesis or Wutai troops. The place was quiet save for the crickets.

"Listen." Angeal whispered to the Captain. "You guys get out of here. Did you set all the detonation devices to twenty minutes?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Then hurry and get out of here. I'm going to go find Zack. I think your duties are done here."

The Captain nodded in response. He turned to halt his squad and relay Angeal's orders to them. When he had finished, they hurried out of the central area.

Angeal ran down the left tunnel leading to the bottom floor of the courtyard. As he reached it, his eyes fell on a figure slowly getting up. Judging from the silver-grey uniform, it was a Wutai soldier and not just any ordinary one...it was a Crescent Unit soldier!

"Zack was supposed to eliminate the Crescent Unit! What the hell happened?" Angeal whispered, his hand gripping the hilt of the Buster Sword latched on his back. The person that Zack had left alive spotted Angeal and made a run for it, jumping over the wall and vanishing out of his enemy's sight.

"Zack better have a good explanation as to why he left out a member of the Crescent Unit!" Angeal mumbled, letting go of the hilt and looking around his surroundings. "Hmm...It's pretty quiet here and that's usually not good."

Suddenly without warning, he heard a loud booming sound coming from the red building in the middle of the courtyard. Angeal watched wide-eyed as a giant monster sat atop the roof. In the monster's hand was a huge metal ball attached to a chain which it started to swing around as it jumped down, causing a part of the roof to collapse.

Without further hesitation, Angeal ran towards the arena, unlatching the massive sword from his back. "You better not lose your focus, Zack!"

* * *

_"Shing!"_

Zack landed back on his feet as the anti-Shinra monster fell down. The metal ball and chain landed a few feet from the two, making a clanging noise as it rolled and hit one of the gongs nearby.

"Heh! Piece of cake!" Zack said, inspecting the dead monster as he twirled his sword around...

What he didn't know was that he had merely knocked it out for a few seconds. With lightning speed, the beast's right hand flung out and batted Zack away. The young SOLDIER cried out in pain as his back and head landed hard against a wooden pillar. Sitting and rubbing his head, Zack looked up to see the monster back on its feet again as it retrieved its weapon and slowly advanced on him.

"This...is...not good...at all." Zack grunted, lifting his sword and pointing it at the advancing enemy in an effort to defend himself. However, it was too late for him when he saw it standing a few feet from him, raising the giant weapon above its head. Zack closed his eyes and braced himself for the blow...

Instead, he heard the beast's cry as something stabbed it on the back. Hearing this, Zack opened his eyes to see the monster stumbling about and finally falling dead in front of him. Behind it stood a familiar SOLDIER clad in black...

"Angeal!" the young SOLDIER gasped, laying his own sword next to him. Angeal looked at the anti-Shinra monster before approaching Zack.

"You lost your focus again, didn't you?" Zack hated to admit it, but his mentor was right. His lack of focus got him into this mess and Angeal had to go and save his sorry behind again.

"That's twice you owe me." Angeal said, latching the Buster Sword on his back. "One from the training mission and one from this." Zack rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Yeah, yeah." His eyes fell upon Angeal's weapon and it reminded him of the Briefing Room, where he had struck his mentor for refusing to help Aerith. Zack felt his anger returning and he averted his gaze from the sword.

"Angeal, tell me." he started, catching Angeal's attention. "Why are you refusing to help Aerith? Does that girl really deserve to be locked up?" Angeal looked at the slayed monster and sighed. His lies certainly didn't help and now he was stuck on what to tell the young SOLDIER about Project Cetra without landing himself in trouble with the President.

"Let's just say that Shinra needs her because...she is a special person." Angeal said, stroking his chin as he thought of what else to say.

"Well, Hojo doesn't think she's special after the way he treated her back at the lab." Zack said sarcastically. "Honestly, I think she deserves her freedom you know? I don't see why we need to keep her in a cell all day, all week."

Angeal approached Zack and extended a hand. "I'll see what I could do to get her out of her cell" At hearing this, Zack smiled and took his hand as his mentor helped him up.

"Now that's the Angeal I know!"

"Zack, you can be pretty persuasive sometimes." Angeal chuckled. "But I can't guarantee you that Aerith will be released and allowed to return home." Before Zack could protest, he held his right hand up to silence him as he continued. "But maybe I can arrange for something like letting her out of her cell for an hour or two and having_ you _as her escort/bodyguard."

"Fair enough." Zack said, smiling. "At least Aerith's not going to be sitting around in her cell staring at the walls all day." As he said this, the giant doors of the arena opened as Director Lazard entered the room.

"Ah, Zack." he started as his eyes fell on the slayed beast next to the SOLDIERs. "You've done a pretty impressive job for this mission. You reduced the Wutai troops to half and thanks to your efforts, our infiltration went smoothly."

"No problem, Director!" Zack said, grinning and standing at attention. "That's the job of a SOLDIER!"

"Acceptable work for a 2nd." the Director added. Immediately, the grin on Zack's face vanished. Angeal couldn't help but chuckle as he watched him scratching the back of his head with a confused look on his face.

"On to business." Lazard started, catching the two's attentions. "From what I heard from the Captain in Unit A, we have approximately ten minutes until detonation so let's get out of this fort and meet up with Sephirotha and Unit B at the trail."

Zack's eyes lit up at hearing his hero's name. "Wait, you mean I get to actually_ meet_ the Great Sephiroth!? Cool! Then what're we waiting for? Let's get to our destination!" Angeal walked past him and joined Lazard as they started walking out the doors. Just as Zack was about to follow, three men clad in red uniform surrounded him.

"Wait a minute, these aren't Wutai troops." Zack said, taking out his sword and eyeing them warily. "Well, I don't have any time to be messing with you guys. Sephiroth's waiting!" With that said, he took all three of them down with one horizontal sword slash.

Zack twirled his weapon in victory before securing it on his back. "Way too easy!"

"Zack! C'mon, we don't have all day!" Angeal's voice called out to him. As he ran to catch up to the pair, the young SOLDIER wondered how Angeal and Lazard didn't notice the three men who attacked him even though they were just outside the arena. And who were those strange men dressed in red? They dressed nearly the same way as Genesis.

For the remainder of the way to the trail, all three were silent. Zack kept wondering about the three men, but in the back of his head, he was excited in seeing Sephiroth. He was finally going to see his hero in person!

As they started walking through the trail, the strange men ambushed them again, blocking their way as they stood there twirling their curved knives. Before Zack could even grab his weapon, Angeal had already whipped out his Buster Sword and was in a battle stance as he faced the trio.

"Zack, I leave the Director to you. Take him somewhere safe. I'll handle these guys." Zack nodded, motioning for Lazard to follow him as they started running away. They were only running for a few minutes when two Shinra infantrymen appeared and ran up to the two.

"Director! There you are!" one of them exclaimed as they met up with them. Director Lazard joined the two and turned to Zack.

"I think I'll be fine from here. Go and assist Angeal."

"Right." Zack said, turning heel and running back up the trail. "I'm comin' Angeal! Hang on!" He became somewhat worried as he approached the spot where Angeal was fighting. The trio of men who had ambushed them were laying dead on the ground, but there was no sign of the 1st Class SOLDIER anywhere.

"What are these things?" a voice asked. Zack turned around and couldn't believe his eyes as Sephiroth walked by him, crouching down and inspecting the three sprawled on the floor. He yanked the strange helmets off on of the men, revealing...

"Genesis..." Zack gasped. "The missing 1st Class SOLDIER." His eyes widened as Sephiroth removed the other two's helmets. The other two were also Genesis! How could that be?

"Copies." Sephiroth concluded, standing up and facing Zack. "Where's Angeal?"

"I-I honestly don't know." he answered, looking around the vicinity. "He was here fighting these guys minutes ago." Sephiroth turned his back on Zack.

"So, Angeal's betrayed us as well."

Zack couldn't believe what he was hearing! Just because Angeal mysteriously vanished and they revealed the enemy as Genesis copies didn't mean his mentor betrayed Shinra.

"No...Angeal would never..." he said, his voice rising. "I know Angeal and his pride and honor in SOLDIER...He would never betray us! EVER!"

Sephiroth averted Zack's angry gaze as he looked at the full moon above...

_"Angeal...Genesis...where did you go?"_

* * *

Thanks for reading!:) To be continued...


	6. Chapter 6

Hey there, everybody! Sorry for the looooooong delay! Schoolwork and writer's block prevented me from finishing this chapter (I even had to get some reference from Youtube just to write out the last part of this chapter!) Regardless of my excuses, I managed to finish it and just to make it up to you guys, I made this chapter nice and long for you...9000+ words can you believe that?! I've never written so much in my entire life!

With that said, I'd like to thank those of you who have reviewed this fic and thank you for being patient with me. Hope you enjoy!:)  
**_

* * *

_**

**_Under Attack_**

The war raging between Shinra and the Wutai has finally come to an end after the Shinra army managed to bring the last of the Wutai generals down, forcing the Wutai to surrender. President Shinra and the rest of the company was rejoicing the victory...everyone except Zack who was still intent on knowing where his friend Angeal had gone to.

Zack was sitting alone in the Briefing Room looking through his previous mission briefing. Two weeks after his return from Wutai, Zack had been sent to Banora with a Turk named Tseng to speak with the SOLDIERs' families. The young SOLDIER remembered everything that happened, especially the day he met Angeal's mother...

_"Find Angeal's house and see if anybody's in there." Tseng ordered as he bent down and brushed the dirt from a small mound of rocks. "I will continue to investigate this grave." _

_"Right!" Zack replied as he started jogging down the hill towards the houses. He stopped in his tracks as he entered the desolate area. _

_'Uh...which one is Angeal's house?' Zack thought as he stood there scratching his head. 'I guess I should go around and check each one!' As he worked his way around, he found that most of the houses were almost empty save for a few monsters that occasionally ran out of the houses. Soon, he was down to one, small house located at the end of the street._

_"This must be Angeal's house then." Zack said as he turned the brass knob and opened the wooden door. He found an elderly woman inside sitting at the small dinner table. Her eyes met the SOLDIER's mako eyes as he entered._

_"May I help you?"_

_"H-hi my name is Zack." he stammered, raising his right hand. "A-re you A-angeal's mother?"_

_The woman stifled a giggle. "Are you Zack the Puppy?" Zack stepped back in shock. How did she know his SOLDIER nickname?  
_

_"Excuse me?"_

_"Angeal always writes to me about you." she explained, giving him a warm smile. "Zero attention span. Restless as a puppy." Zack folded his arms._

_"Thanks a lot, Angeal." he sighed._

_"If you're looking for my son..." she continued, looking behind her. "He just went out, but he left his sword here." At that moment, his eyes caught the glimpse of the mighty Buster Sword which was leaning against a wall just behind her. As he stared at the fine blade, he wondered why Angeal would go out without his sword...  
_

_"That sword, which represents our family's pride and honor, was made for my son when he first joined SOLDIER. My husband had borrowed a lot of money just to have it made by the blacksmith. But...he succumbed to fatigue as he was trying to pay back the huge debts." Angeal's mother started to explain, breaking him out of his thoughts. "My husband wanted that sword to remind our son about the ways of honor and pride."_

_Zack averted his gaze from the sword. "I...see...Ma'am, you ought to know that this place is very dangerous right now so you should probably get yourself somewhere safe!" He heard Angeal's mother take a deep breath, but he did not see the confident smile that crept across her face..._

_"Don't worry. Genesis...cannot harm me..."_

Unconsciously, Zack started crinkling the document in his gloved hands. Those were her last words to him...to anybody...And strangely enough, Genesis was not the person who silenced her...Zack gritted his teeth at the thought of the unexpected person who had silenced the woman forever...

_Zack grinned as he chopped down the last of the Shinra missiles that were being fired at him. "Easy as pie! I could have done this blindfolded! Huh?" His small victory was cut short by the ringing of his phone. _

_"Zack speaking!"  
_

_"The missile attacks have ceased." The monotonous voice belonged to Tseng. "You will be rewarded for destroying company evidence. Did you check Angeal's house already?"_

_"Yeah. I did." Zack replied._

_"Are you sure nobody's at the house?"_

_"..."_

_"Hurry! I'll hold off the bombing a little longer." Zack nodded and closed the phone. He wasn't exactly sure why Tseng ordered the village to be "neutralized", but he had to follow orders. "All right. Time to head back to Angeal's house and tell his mom to evacuate." He jogged down the path leading towards the village and right away, he spotted the old house; it stuck out among the nicely built houses. _

_As Zack neared the house, he noticed that the door had been left open. He could've sworn that he closed the door when he left the house so why was it open? When he stepped inside, he let out a gasp at the sight. On the floor in a small pool of blood lay Angeal's mother. The wooden table and floor was covered with her blood and deep scratches. _

_Zack's heart skipped a beat as he caught the glimpse of black fabric next to him. His mentor, Angeal, was standing nearby and his silence only meant one thing..._

_"What the hell did you do, Angeal?" Zack screamed, grabbing his friend by the collar of his shirt. Angeal remained silent as he was slammed against the wall. In a mere second, his body flew from the wall to the floor as Zack's fist met his face._

_"The mother..." Angeal started as he slowly rose to his feet. "Cannot continue to live...and neither can the son!" _

"What did he mean?" Zack asked himself as he stood from his chair, folding and placing the documents in his pocket. "Huh?" His hand felt another paper-like item in his pocket and fished it out to see a sealed, envelope. Turning it over, he saw his name neatly written on the front side.

Zack gasped as he remembered who it was from; Tseng gave this envelope to him in the helicopter ride to Banora.

_"So, how much longer before we reach Banora?" Zack asked, placing his arms behind his head and leaning against the cushioned seat. "This ride's making me sleepy!"_

_"We won't reach Banora for another hour." Tseng said, chuckling as the boy groaned in irritation. He dug his hand in his pants pocket and took out a small envelope._

_"Here's something that may interest you." he said, handing it to Zack. "It's from Aerith."_

_"Aerith!" Zack exclaimed, sitting up as he took it from the Turk's hand. "Why is it heavy?" Suddenly without warning, the aircraft started to rock violently._

_"Sir! We're being attacked by Shinra missiles!" the pilot called from the cockpit. The helicopter began to shake again as it was hit with another missile.  
_

_"Damn those Genesis clones; stealing artillery from us!" Tseng cursed. Both he and Zack jumped in surprise as a sudden blast knocked a door down. Several Genesis winged-clones jumped in the chopper and pulled out their weapons._

_"Zack!" Tseng cautioned, pulling out his gun._

_"Yeah, you don't have to remind me!" the SOLDIER said sarcastically as he tucked the envelope in his pants pocket and grabbed his sword. "Sorry Aerith, but your letter will have to wait!" _

"Aerith..." Zack whispered, opening the envelope. Inside contained a folded paper and a small pendant. He set the envelope with the necklace on top of the table next to him as he unfolded the note...

_Zack,_

_How are you? I haven't seen you at all since the day you took me to Hojo's lab, but what can I expect? Prisoners don't get many visitors, right? Besides, I heard that there was a war going on between the Wutai and Shinra and many Shinra members are over at Wutai. I'm guessing you're one of them since you're in SOLDIER, right? Tseng came the other day and treated me to dinner. I know what you're thinking...Hojo never knew. Tseng told me that Hojo was on a business trip with Rufus Shinra so no "experiments" for a while. After that incident with you in the lab, Hojo's been calling different people to escort me to his laboratory. He's been conducting the same experiment for the past month already so I'm kind of glad that he was called to go on a business trip. But I'm okay so don't worry! _

Zack gritted his teeth and clenched his free hand into a tight fist. "Damn that Hojo!" He read the next paragraph of Aerith's letter to see if she wrote anything more about her meetings with the madman...

_Anyways, Tseng took me to the 2nd floor for dinner. There were so many restaurants there, but none of them compared to the one we went to! I think it was called "The Happy Tonberry". Tseng was good friends with the head chef there so we got our dinner for a really great discount! After dinner, he took me to his car and we went out to the city to spend the rest of the hour just walking around. I also did some shopping at Loveless Avenue and Tseng almost payed for everything. He doesn't know that I have some money from my flower sales which I used to buy your thank-you gift. I hope you like it! It's my way of saying thanks for saving me in Hojo's lab that day. Well, I know you're busy and I hope I didn't take too much of your time. See you later!  
_

_-Aerith_

Zack placed the letter down on the table and took the pendant out of the envelope and looked at it in awe. The short, thick chain was made of gold and hanging from it was a small, silver dragon. Sapphires were studded along the edges of the creature's wings and a pair of rubies made its ferocious eyes.

"This alone must have cost Aerith a fortune!" Zack exclaimed as he fastened the dragon pendant around his neck. He returned the letter to the envelope and tucked it in his pocket. "I should go and see her." As he collected the letter and the rest of the documents, his phone started to ring. Zack reached in his back pocket to retreive the device and flipped it open...

"Zack speaking."

"SOLDIER 2nd Class, Zack, report to the SOLDIER Director's Office immediately."

"Sephiroth?" Zack asked, but was answered by a beep as the General hung up. Flipping the phone closed, Zack let out a sigh of exasperation as he collected his papers and headed out of the Briefing Room.

"We do all the dangerous missions, but we still get little pay...even the Turks get paid better than us SOLDIER members!"

* * *

"Thank you for taking me around last week. I really enjoyed our time together and thank you for the supplies."

"No problem. I'm glad you enjoyed our trip around Sector 8."

Tseng was in Aerith's detention cell, conversing with the girl about their little trip around Midgar last week. During the trip, Aerith had bought clothes and several books to keep her busy. Her extra garments lay in a box located across from the cot. The stack of books she bought were lying in a neat stack under her cot and next to them was another box which contained sheets of clean and decorated paper and several colored pens and pencils that Tseng brought for her. Thanks to the kind Turk, Aerith now had something to do other than sleeping or staring at the barren walls of her cell all day.

She swallowed the last of the noodles that Tseng had brought over from his dinner break. "These Wutai noodles are really good! Midgar has some really talented chefs!" A smile crept up on Tseng's face as he watched her gorging down on the leftovers he brought to her. When it came to eating habits, Aerith reminded him of Zack somehow.

"By the way," Aerith said, interrupting his thoughts. "Did my letter get to Zack?" He nodded.

"Yes, I gave it to him in the chopper during our mission to Banora. Unfortunately, he didn't have the chance to read it there because we were ambushed by the enemy." Immediately, Aerith's joyful smile turned into a frown.

"I do hope he reads it. I want him to see his gift!" Tseng chuckled.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's read it already." Suddenly, a ringing sound echoed throughout the room as Tseng's phone rang...

"Where you at, yo'? We're all waiting for you!" The cheerful voice belonged to another Turk named Reno.

"I'll be there shortly. Just wait for me." Tseng replied. "Did you get the choppers ready like I asked you to?"

"Of course, yo. Rude and Cissnei managed to contact Heidegger and Scarlet. Kya-ha and Gya-ha let us borrow five new Shinra chopper models." Nearby, Aerith tried her hardest not to break out laughing at hearing Heidegger and Scarlet's nicknames.

"All right. Meet me at the rooftop. I'll be there in ten minutes." Tseng ordered.

"Tseng, you better hurry before Cissnei kicks my-"

"I said I'll be there in ten minutes." Tseng interrupted. "You're really testing my patience, Reno."

"Sorry, Boss!" A beep followed and Tseng placed the phone in his coat pocket, checking the time on his watch.

"Aerith, I have some business I must attend to so I'm afraid we'll have to chat some other time." Aerith stood up and embraced him.

"It's fine, Tseng. I understand. Here." She handed him the empty Styrofoam bowl which used to contain the leftover food he brought over earlier. "Could you kindly throw this away for me? As you can see, there's no trash can in here."

That casual smile crept back on the Turk's face as he took the bowl and chopsticks from her. "Of course, Aerith." He turned around and stepped in front of the cell door which automatically opened for him.

"I hope we can chat some other time, Aerith." he said as he swiped his keycard in the slot next to the door. She watched the door block him from view as it closed again. When the sound of Tseng's footsteps faded away, she reached under her cot and pulled out a book titled The Legendary Jet-Black Chocobo, opening it to the spot where she had left off.

"I wonder if the Gold Saucer really does exist. It would be neat to see a Chocobo in real life. I've only seen these birds in books."

* * *

Zack was standing in Lazard's office in front of the Director's desk. Behind him was Sephiroth, who was leaning against another desk awaiting further orders from Lazard. Zack always had admiration for the hero, but lately, Sephiroth had been getting on his nerves. Ever since Angeal's disappearance, the 1st Class SOLDIER was refusing many missions. The rejected assignments were always handed down to Zack, who had no choice but to accept them due to his ranking as a 2nd Class.

"Congratulations, Zack." Lazard said, turning his swivel-chair around to face the boy. "As of this moment, you are promoted to 1st Class." He was expecting some crazy reaction from the SOLDIER, but none came as Zack just stood there, looking at his gloved hands.

"I thought...I'd be happier." The Director nodded.

"That's understandable. Too much...happened too fast." Sephiroth closed his eyes and exhaled. Lazard threw a quick glance at him before looking back at Zack.

"Zack, I'm afraid I'm going to need your assistance again."

"Are you pressing another mission on me, Sephiroth?" Zack asked irritatingly.

"My apologies." Sephiroth answered.

"Whatever."

"But before I give you the details of your next mission," Lazard continued, interrupting the two. "head down to the SOLDIER floor and change into uniform." Without another word, Zack turned and walked away. As he headed towards the elevator, he threw another angry glance at his hero. Sephiroth merely avoided his glance by looking down on the floor.

Zack swiped his keycard and stepped into the elevator. As its doors closed and headed down towards the 49th floor, he looked down at the necklace Aerith had given him. Holding it in his hand, he thought about the letter she wrote to him. Hojo had deliberately waited for him to go to Wutai so he could start conducting his little experiments on Aerith. Zack squeezed the tiny dragon in his hand and closed his eyes. He desperately wanted Aerith to be free of Hojo's experiments, but how was he going to help her out?

"Hey Zack! What's up?" a cheerful voice called out, snapping him out of his thoughts. Zack looked up to see the elevator doors open and reveal his best friend, Kunsel. He was so engrossed in his thoughts of the flower girl that he didn't hear the ring of the elevator as it arrived at the SOLDIER floor.

"The sky. That's what's up." Zack joked as he stepped out and laughter followed his comment. Kunsel ruffled Zack's short spikes.

"So, where are you off to? Another mission preparation, I'm assuming?"

"Well...sort of...it's kind of important. I need to go to the Briefing Room so I'll have to talk to you later."

"Okay then. I'll send you an email when I have the chance." Kunsel said as he stepped aside to allow his friend to pass through before going into the elevator himself.

_Five minutes later..._

Zack smiled as he clipped on the last of the leather straps of his 1st Class SOLDIER uniform. "Time to report back to the Director!" He was about to head for the door when it opened by itself revealing a Shinra scientist.

"Zack, correct?" The smile on Zack's face widened into a huge grin as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Yup, the one and only!"

"Congratulations on making it to 1st. As a 1st Class, I am authorized to teach you how to fuse Materia. And there is now more space for you to carry up to six Materia." Zack's jaw dropped at hearing this.

"Wow, really?" The scientist nodded.

"Allow me to explain. The Shinra Science Department has been asking 1st Class SOLDIER members to aid us in our, 'Materia Fusion', research. Generally, Materia Fusion is a process where two different or same types of Materia are combined to make a stronger, different kind of Materia. I'll show you an example." He produced a wrist band, Fire, and Blizzard Materia from his lab coat pocket and handed them to Zack. "Put the wrist band on and hold these two in your hands. Observe what happens."

Zack did as he was told and strapped the wrist band on. He watched carefully as he held the Fire and Blizzard Materia in his hand...

Several streams of condensed, Mako energy, poured out from both orbs and collided with each other. He watched in fascination as they started merging into one, single Materia. When the streams of Mako had ceased, a Thunder Matera was sitting on his palm.

"As you have just observed, Fire and Blizzard make Thunder Materia." the scientist concluded. "This is just the basics of Materia Fusion and we are still researching this so if you fuse or find anything interesting, please let us know. I will send out an email with more information on this later. I must get going, so if you'll excuse me." With those words, he walked out of the Briefing Room. Just then, Zack's phone rang again.

"It's Lazard. Are you done changing into your uniform?"

"Yeah, and I even got a crash course on Materia Fusion!"

"Good. Now head back to my office so we can discuss our next objective"

"Okay, I'll be there soon." He returned his phone in his pocket and left the Briefing Room and took the elevator back to Lazard's office on the 70th floor. As he silently waited in the lift, his phone beeped.

"It's that scientist that I met a few minutes ago." Zack said as he checked his email. "About Materia Fusion..."

Suddenly without warning, the elevator came to an abrupt halt, causing him to stumble and hit his head on one of the walls nearby. Around him, the emergency lights switched on and an alarm blared from the other side of the closed doors.

"Ow, that hurt!" Zack muttered, scratching the back of his throbbing head. Despite his mild headache, he managed to crawl to his phone which had rung again.

"Zack...s-speaking..."

"Zack, are you all right? This is Lazard."

"All good...I just hit my head, but this headache will go away soon."

"Good. Genesis troops and anti-Shinra mechs have invaded the building. Sephiroth is escorting me to my chopper as we speak and I want you to head down to Sector 8. Meet Sephiroth there."

"Right. Will do." Zack answered before hanging up and putting the device in his pocket. Folding his arms, he looked at the walls around him. "Well, that's sort of easier said than done. The elevator's stuck...huh?" His Mako eyes caught a glimpse of the floor number showing on the small screen above the doors.

"I'm on the 67th floor and that means...Aerith!" Zack exclaimed as he opened the emergency hatch next to the keypad and swiped his keycard to open the door. Without waiting for the doors to open completely, the young SOLDIER darted out of the elevator and headed down the corridors towards the detention cells...

* * *

Sweat ran down Aerith's face as she slowly backed away from two Genesis clones who had broken her cell door down. The two intruders were both clad in red uniforms and they each had a single, black wing. Their faces, however, were hidden behind the helmets they were wearing.

Aerith gasped as her back bumped against a corner. The two sheathed their curved knives as they continued walking towards her. She slowly sat on the floor and hugged her knees to her chest as her fearful eyes watched their movements.

"This is it. I'm done for." she whispered as they raised their weapons above their heads. Aerith squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for the final blow...

Instead of feeling pain, she was hearing cries of pain. Opening her eyes, the girl spotted two small puddles of blood. Her puzzlement turned into shock as she looked up to see the two with their own weapons protruding from their stomachs.

"Well that takes care of these morons!" a familiar voice said as both men fell on their knees, revealing the face of her hero...

"Zack!" Aerith exclaimed.

A wave of relief washed over Zack as he walked over and squatted down. "Are you all right?!" She nodded slowly and a sudden "thud" followed her response; the two clones Zack had killed were now lying prone on the floor.

"How did you know they were here?" Aerith asked.

He shook his head. "I didn't. I was on my way back to Director Lazard's office when the elevator got stuck on this floor so I decided to step out and check around to see if anyone needed assistance."

Aerith nodded, but gasped as Zack swiftly scooped her up in his strong arms. He noticed her slightly shocked state as he bolted through the corridors to reach the elevator.

"You okay?" The surprised look on her face turned into a relaxed smile.

"Yes, I'll be fine. You just scared me there for a second."

"Oh, sorry about that! I didn't mean to." The girl shook her head.

"It's perfectly fine. By the way, I see you're wearing the pendant I bought you." Her fingers traced the small dragon hanging from the gold chain around Zack's neck.

"Of course! And I will always wear this wherever I go!" As they neared the elevator, a door opened and several disc-like Shinra machines popped out.

"Damn it! Can't these things tell friend from foe?" Zack gritted as he dodged a flurry of electrical attacks. His eyes spotted several stacks of Shinra packages sitting nearby and he quickly hid behind them before he or Aerith could get zapped by the attacks.

"Aerith, stay here and rest while I go and clear the way." he suggested as he gently placed her down on the floor. She merely nodded and smiled, taking his gloved hands and giving them a squeeze.

"Be careful, okay?

Zack nodded as he let go of her and whipped out his sword from its magnetic clip. "Come and get it you pint-sized machines!" Immediately, he jumped up as another set of electrical waves shot out at him. Seconds later, Aerith saw a wrecked Shinra machine rolling nearby.

"Have a taste of your own medicine!" Zack yelled as he shot out his hand with the wrist band attached to it. "Thundaga!" The deadly lightning waves destroyed the remaining five machines, splitting their mechanical bodies in two.

"Oh yeah! These things are no match for me!" he said triumphantly, twirling his sword and securing it on his back...

"Zaaack!" Aerith cried. Zack spun around and gritted his teeth as he saw a huge robot headed right for them. Two turrets emerged from its arms and fired a round of bullets at them. The young SOLDIER quickly ran in front of Aerith and squatted down with his back turned to the enemy, causing some of the bullets to ricochet off his sword.

Without hesitation, Zack fished out his keycard, hung it on his arm, hoisted Aerith in his arms, and ran for the elevator as the bullets continued to fly. She was surprised to see most of the bullets bounce off Zack as they hit his back.

The SOLDIER laughed. "Hah! That bag of bolts can't harm us now thanks to Wall!" He noticed the confused look on the Cetra's face and gave her a wink.

"Don't worry, I'll explain later. Can you do me a favor and swipe the keycard for me. The card's hanging from my arm." Aerith did as he asked and the doors opened, allowing the two to enter. Strangely, the bullets had stopped flying and Zack turned around to see the robot on the floor. Next to it stood a 2nd Class SOLDIER who was securing his sword and adjusting his helmet...

"Thanks, Luxiere!" Zack called out. "I owe you one!" His friend looked up and recognized them.

"Zack! You all right?"

"Yeah! I'm fine thanks to my Materia! How'd you know I was here?"

"I didn't know until I heard your name. Mind if you hold the door for me?" Zack nodded and gently placed Aerith down before holding the elevator doors for him.

"What were you doing here?"

"I got a call from one of Hojo's assistants, asking me to come here, but by the time I got here, the alarms sounded. I took the lift up to Hojo's lab, but the assistant wasn't there. However, I found this on the floor near one of the giant test tubes." Luxiere explained, handing a paper over to his friend.

"What is it?" Zack asked, taking the document. His eyes widened with shock as he read the bold words at the top...

_**Project Cetra**_

_Specimen AG01_

Zack was left speechless as he looked at the professor's findings. According to the paper, Aerith had been put to sleep and injected with various viruses to see if her body could fight them off. The procedures were listed below and they were all the same: She would be placed in a sample tube, one of the assistants would pull the switch to release the sleeping gas, the machine would inject the said virus, Hojo and the other researchers would observe the reactions, and then they would order a SOLDIER member to carry her back to her holding cell. The results were all the same; Aerith's body had indeed fought off almost every virus they had injected into her...except a virus labeled J015, which left her with the flu for two weeks. At the bottom of the sheet, Hojo had written his conclusions...

_'The specimen is indeed, a half-Cetra since her body cannot withstand the last virus we injected into her system. A full-fledged Cetra would be able to fight off the J015 virus. We will proceed with Phase II of the project when I return from my business trip with the Vice President."_

Zack wanted to tear the paper apart after reading the professor's last statement. _"All that just to find out what Aerith's background is? Just reading this makes me sick to my stomach!'" _

He jumped in surprise as a hand touched his arm. Looking up from the paper, his eyes met Aerith's worried face.

"Zack, what's the matter? You tensed up all of a sudden." A few seconds of silence followed her question as Zack racked his brains for an excuse. He didn't want Aerith to know what Hojo had been doing to her for the past few weeks. No wonder she didn't mention much about the experiment in her letter; she knew about the growing hatred he had towards the scientist.

"It's nothing, Aerith. Don't worry about me." Zack said as he mentally started to calm himself. "Here, Luxiere. Give that to Hojo when you see him."

Just as Luxiere was about to take the documents, he let out a slight gasp as Zack pulled him closer...

"And whatever you do, _don't _tell him that I read this document." Zack whispered into his ear. "Got it?"

Luxiere nodded in response. "Gotcha." Just then, the elevator sounded as it arrived at the lobby and opened. Zack let go of his friend as the three of them watched the carnage. Several infantrymen were firing their rifles at a Shinra robot; the same one that had attacked Zack and Aerith earlier. Nearby, a 2nd and 3rd Class SOLDIER were hacking away at the little disc-like machines which, at the same time, were shooting out streams of electricity from their short antennas.

"Zack, get the girl somewhere safe." Luxiere ordered as he grabbed his sword. "I'm going to take care of these things!" He started running out of the elevator, but stopped and glanced back at his friend. A smile crept across his face.

"By the way, Zack. Congrats on making it to 1st!" Zack grinned.

"Thanks, Luxiere!" His friend nodded and ran off to help the infantrymen that were trying to fend off the huge machine. Zack turned to face Aerith and placed a gloved hand on her shoulder.

"Aerith, I promise no harm will come to you while I'm here." She gave him a warm smile as she took his hand and squeezed it.

"Zack, I trust you." He gave her a nod before picking her up and cradling her in his arms.

"Let's do this!" Zack said with confidence as he bolted out the elevator and across the wrecked lobby. Several Shinra machines spotted them and started firing, but the bullets bounced off Zack's sword as he ran through the exit and out towards Sector 8.

* * *

_Bang!_

Another machine collapsed and behind it stood Tseng with his handgun aimed at it. Smoke started to seep out of the small weapon, but that didn't stop the Turk from firing another round at a small mech nearby.

"Well, someone's having fun around here, yo!" Reno called out nearby. He and his partner, Rude, were busy with three Genesis clones. Tseng blew the smoke from his handgun before returning it to the holster on his belt.

"Where's Cissnei?"

Before the pair could answer their leader, a red shuriken flashed by and decapitated the three clones. A gloved hand shot out and caught as it returned to her.

"You called, sir?" Reno smirked and twirled his electric rod around.

"Damn! Talk about a flashy entrance, Cissnei!" The female Turk rolled her eyes.

"It's called 'saving your backside', dimwit!"

"Aw, c'mon! Don't be such a b-" Reno's comment was abruptly cut off by a whack on the head from his partner.

"Thank you, Rude." Tseng said casually, turning back to Cissnei.

"I want you to clear this sector of clones and machines. And if you see Sephiroth and Zack, contact me right away."

"Got it!" she replied and ran off. Tseng watched her momentarily before turning back to the two. "Wait here for further orders." He eyed Reno who was fixing his goggles.

"And I expect you to have better behavior from here on. Unless-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know!" The redhead Turk exclaimed, cutting him off. "Unless I want to be suspended from missions."

"Very good then." Tseng said, pulling out his gun and reloading it. "I'm surprised you still know the Turks' Code of Conduct, Reno." Both Reno and Rude ducked as their leader aimed it at them and fired two bullets. A flurry of small explosions were heard following the gunshot and the pair turned around to see an anti-Shinra weapon on the ground.

"Talk about precise!" Reno exclaimed. Rude simply adjusted his sunglasses.

* * *

"Sephiroth!"

The General turned to see Zack running towards him with Aerith in his arms. _"Just as I thought. He went out of his way for the Cetra girl again..."_

"Lazard told me to meet you here." the boy said, stopping and gently placing the girl down. "Sorry I'm late! A few obstacles such as-"

"This girl?" Sephiroth inquired.

"Yes..." Zack answered, but shook his head. "Wait, no! Not Aerith! The elevator got stuck on the 67th floor and there were some anti-Shinra machines and Genesis clones that attacked the area." His eyes went from the General to Aerith. "If I hadn't been there, she would have died."

Silence followed his explanation as Sephiroth eyed the pair before turning away and brandishing his Masamune. "Let's go."

Zack and Aerith looked at one another and shrugged before following him. As they were walking, both 1st Class SOLDIERs brought down any clone or machine that attacked them. Aerith tried to be of an asset instead of a liability by healing Zack's minor wounds and the boy was thankful for her healing skills. Just as they were approaching the huge fountain, Zack's keen eyes spotted trouble; a female Turk was surrounded by three Genesis clones.

"Hang on! I'm a comin'!" he exclaimed, dashing off towards the group. Without warning, an electric rod swung out in front of him, halting him from going any further. Zack looked up to see two Turks standing on either side of him.

"Sector 8's Turk's jurisdiction..." the one with the rod said, whirling around and pointing the weapon at him. "slick!"

Zack couldn't believe that these two weren't allowing him to rescue the girl. "But she's-"

"Don't worry." the other said, cutting him off. "She's got it." Zack looked ahead and gasped; the three clones were sprawled on the floor and the girl was standing with a huge shuriken in her hand.

The young SOLDIER stared at her wide-eyed as she approached them. _"Whoa...She's one Turk you don't want to mess with!" _

Lost in his thoughts, Zack was completely unaware that Tseng had arrived. The bald Turk near him spoke up first, breaking the boy out of his thoughts...

"SOLDIER is having difficulties."

"This place is just crawling with nasties!" his partner added. Tseng stood there for a moment before addressing his comrades again.

"Reno, Rude."

"Just say the word..." Reno sighed.

"Go!" At Tseng's command, the two men darted up the stairs and headed for Sector 1. Zack placed his hands behind his head as he watched them leave. "Huh...what's going on at the train station?" He didn't notice the female Turk walking behind him...

"SOLDIER's being stingy."

Zack shrugged his shoulders. "There's a man-power shortage...huh?!" Soon, he found himself looking into her eyes. Eagerly, he extended a hand out to her.

"My name's Zack! Nice to meet you!" Tseng, who had been watching them the whole time, approached him.

"Don't you have an assignment to do?" Zack's face and arm dropped at hearing this and Cissnei tried to stifle a giggle at seeing his reaction. Sephiroth was standing nearby with Aerith beside him.

"What about the Cetra girl?" Tseng walked over to them and took the girl's hand.

"I'll be taking her somewhere safe. The rest of you carry on with your assignment." Zack could not believe what he was hearing; he blocked Tseng's path by running in front of him.

"Wait...Why can't I be the one to escort her?" He pointed at Sephiroth. "I mean, Sephiroth can take care of things around here!" A tinge of pink started to show on Aerith's cheeks and Cissnei sighed in exasperation.

"Let me ask you then..." Tseng started, a smile starting to form on his face. "If I let you escort Aerith, would you know exactly where to find a safe area for her?"

Seconds ticked by as the boy pondered over the question. No matter how hard he thought about it, there wasn't a place in Midgar he could think of right now that would be safe for the girl.

It seemed like the Turk had read his thoughts. "You don't have a clue, do you?" He motioned for Aerith to follow him as he walked around Zack. "Just as I thought." As Aerith bypassed him, she smiled.

"I appreciate your kindness, Zack." she whispered. "Thank you for saving me, by the way."

"No problem! Uh...I'll see you around." he replied, scratching his head as the pair walked up the flight of steps towards the train station. As he watched them. he thought about Tseng's question. Did he really know a safe haven for Aerith? He'd just have to ask him later during his spare time...

"You're name's Zack, correct?" someone asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. Zack turned to see the female Turk who had saved herself. A warm smile formed on her features as she yanked her weapon off the ground.

"The name's Cissnei. Nice to meet you, Zack. Now that we know each other, let's get back to our assignments, shall we?" Zack could only nod in response and she chuckled at his antics.

"You're funny! Well, I'll see you around!" With those words, she darted off towards Loveless Avenue. Zack watched her run until a certain SOLDIER blocked his view...

"Well, are you just going to stand around there all day and let these things invade Midgar?"

"Of course not!" the boy exclaimed, grabbing the sword on his back and detaching it from its metal clip.

"Good. Then we'll split up. Follow Cissnei while I take care of things around here. If you can, find Professor Hollander."

"Professor Hollawho?" Zack asked, visibly confused. Sephiroth let out a sigh before continuing.

"Professor Hollander of the Shinra Science Department. He may be the one who's linked to all these attacks. Now go and assist Cissnei. We'll meet up at Loveless Avenue."

Zack was eager to inquire further about Hollander, but he knew better. They needed to find and eliminate the person behind the attack. He simply nodded and they split up; Sephiroth going towards the main street of Sector 8 and Zack running towards Loveless Avenue.

* * *

A mother and her daughter were shaking with fear as a anti-Shinra machine slowly approached them. The twin turrets were exposed on its mechanic arm and the hidden firearms were starting to pop up on the mech. It stopped within a few feet of the two and took aim. The mother clung onto her child as if her embrace was enough to protect her from the deadly weapon...

"Taaaake that, you piece of junk!"

The mother and child looked up in puzzlement as the anti-Shinra machine collapsed to the ground. Behind it stood a 1st Class SOLDIER who was twirling his sword in victory.

"Thank goodness! A SOLDIER member!"

Zack grinned as he secured his weapon on his back. "Zack, SOLDIER 1st Class, on the job!" The little girl walked up to him and held out her tiny hands which contained a glowing orb.

"Thank you for saving us, Mr. SOLDIER. Please take this; it's one of my prized possessions, but I'd like you to have it." Zack took the small orb and took a closer look; an Esuna materia.

"Please get rid of these things for us, sir." the mother pleaded, pointing at the destroyed machine lying next to him. "They're everywhere!" She took her daughter's hand and ran. He watched them for a moment before looking down at the machine he took down.

_"I wonder who Professor Hollander is?_" he thought, kicking the machine slightly.

"Help! This thing's going to kill me!" someone yelled. Immediately, Zack whirled around to see a man on the other side of the street, huddled up in terror as yet another Shinra machine threatened to take his life.

"Sigh. Don't I ever get a break around here!?" he asked, grabbing the hilt of his sword and jogging towards them.

* * *

"Cloud, take us to Sector 5 please?"

"Yes, sir."

Tseng and Aerith were in a Shinra helicopter, sitting at the back. An infantryman named Cloud was driving the aircraft and his fellow infantrymen were sitting at the back, guarding the girl. All was quiet save for the annoying humming coming from the propellers and the usual radio signal from another pilot. The Turk sat across from the Cetra; she was crinkling the fabric of her pink dress.

"Tseng..." Aerith spoke up, breaking the silence. "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean...what about Hojo?"

"I will take care of it, Aerith." he answered coldly. She averted his gaze and looked down at her handcuffed hands.

"But you'll-"

"I said I'll take care of it." he replied sternly, making the girl cringe a bit. Now the Turk felt bad for snapping at her.

"Look, Aerith." he continued. "I don't want you to spend another day in those cells. That's why we're going to your house and I will explain everything to Elmyra." Silence followed the explanation until she looked up and smiled.

"Thank you, Tseng. I appreciate what you and Zack have done for me during my incarceration." The Turk merely nodded.

"Sir, we have a problem!" Cloud called out from the cockpit.

"What is it?"

"There seems to be an evacuation taking place near our landing point and Hojo is there as well." Tseng gritted his teeth.

_"Damn, that lunatic's already a step ahead of us!" _"Then take us to the abandoned church near the Slum Market!

"Yes, sir!" Cloud exclaimed, placing his headset on again. The felt the chopper being turned around as the infantryman made a quick turn for the church.

"Um, Tseng?" Aerith asked.

"Is it your cuffs?" He signaled an infantryman sitting nearby to unlock the steel cuffs and Aerith frowned at the sight of her slightly bruised and tanned wrists.

"Thank you, but that's not what I was going to say." She produced an envelope from the pocket of her denim jacket and handed it to him. "Could you give this to Zack when you see him again? It's a little thank-you letter to him."

"Another letter? What about?" he said, taking the letter and placing it in his coat pocket.

"Oh you know, the usual 'how are you'." she answered, her face beginning to turn red from embarrassment. "W-why do you ask?"

Tseng chuckled. "It's nothing. I just simply wanted to know."

"Well, it's not like I see him everyday you know. So I thought writing letters would be another way of talking to him..."

"And getting to know Zack better?" he added, a small smile beginning to form on his face.

"Oh you! You never get tired of teasing me, do you?" she laughed, playfully shoving him over.

"Sir, we've arrived at the abandoned church!" Cloud called out. One of the infantrymen guarding Aerith stood up and applied the cuffs to her wrists again. Tseng watched as they led her out of the chopper; his plan was going perfectly so far.

When they entered the church, Cloud closed the huge doors and followed the group. Tseng unlocked the handcuffs and returned them to the infantryman. "From here on out, you are free to do as you please. I was meaning to talk to Elmyra about this, but I guess that's not going to happen today with Hojo and his guards there." He turned to dismiss Cloud and his companions.

"What are you going to do now, Tseng?" she asked as the three saluted and exited the building.

"I'm going to be watching you. I don't want any Genesis Clones, anit-Shinra machines..." his eyes narrowed. "or even _Hojo_ coming here and harming you!"

"But Sector 5 is protected by a steel door which keeps the citizens in and those attackers out." Aerith said. "But I don't think it will keep Hojo out."

Tseng pulled out his handgun and loaded the bullets. "Then it would be best if I stick around."

"But there's one of you and many of them! You won't stand a chance!"

"Who said he was alone, miss?" a familiar voice called out. Aerith looked around in confusion, but the Turk knew who it was...

"Behind you." She turned to see Reno and Rude standing at the doorway near the altar.

"You guys were here the whole time? How'd you know Tseng would be here?"

Reno chuckled, pulling out his electric rod and twirling it around. "Sector 1's all finished, Tseng! Those clones and machines won't be comin' back anytime soon!"

"Sephiroth's finished Sector 8 as well. He's headed towards the Sector 5 Mako Reactor."

"What about Zack and Cissnei?"

"Cissnei will meet us here. Zack's going to meet Sephiroth at the Mako Reactor to look for Professor Hollander."

A click was heard from Tseng's gun as he finished loading it. "Just as planned. Get your weapons out and follow me."

Reno scratched his head in confusion. "Huh? Where are we goin', boss?"

"We're going to be doing some bodyguard duty until Sephiroth and Zack are done with their investigation." The redhead's eyes lit up at hearing this...

"Woohoo! Bodyguard duty!"

Rude adjusted his shades. "Sir, am I to follow you?"

"No." Tseng answered. "Go up to the second floor of the church and watch Aerith. That way, if Reno and I can't hold back any attackers, you'll be there to protect her."

"Hey!" Reno exclaimed. "What's that supposed to mean!?"

"Oh ignore my question, will you?" Aerith pouted, placing her hands on her hips.

"Let's go." Tseng ordered and the three split up; Reno following the leader and Rude going back up the stairs. The Cetra watched them until the huge doors of the church closed. Sighing, she walked over to the flowerbed located in the middle of the room and bent down to feel the petals of the flowers.

"They still feel moist. I wonder if Reno and Rude were nice enough to water my plants while I was away..."

* * *

"You won't get away, Hollander!"

"By the looks of it, I think I will, you idiot!"

Zack was running through the corridors of the Sector 5 Mako Reactor. A few feet ahead of him was Professor Hollander, Shinra's wanted scientist. He cursed silently as three more Genesis copies jumped out in front of him, allowing the Professor to escape.

"Will you all just leave me alone?" Zack asked, whipping out his sword. "I don't have time for the likes of you!"

The day had not been kind for the young SOLDIER. Shortly after helping the people evacuate Loveless Avenue, he and Cissnei found the leader of the Genesis copies; a winged-Genesis. At first sight, Zack thought that it was Genesis himself, but the Scorcher gun it was wielding was the proof that it was a copy; the real one carried a red rapier around. At the end of the duel, he received a call from Sephiroth who had told him another resolution to finding Angeal amd their search resulted in the finding of a small "hideout" behind one of the steel doors in the Sector 5 reactor.

And upon finding this strange place filled with loose documents of Project G did the real Genesis and Hollander appear. Genesis a challenge to see who was the better SOLDIER, leaving Zack to Hollander, who had managed to run from them...

"Great." Zack sighed, securing his weapon on his back. "Where'd that jerk go!" His keen, Mako eyes spotted a small figure clad in white from afar and immediately, he darted towards it.

As the Professor was bent over catching his breath, his eyes spotted the raven-haired SOLDIER running towards him. In mere seconds, he was running for his life again.

_"This is not good." _he thought, looking ahead of him. They had reached the last floor of the reactor, which only meant one thing for him; a dead end...

Fortunately for him, three anti-Shinra machines jumped out behind him and blocked the SOLDIER again..._"I have some time to rest!"  
_

"Hey." a familiar voice quietly called over to him. Hollander looked around in confusion and without warning, a gloved hand grabbed the fabric of his worn lab coat, causing him to stumble backward.

"What's the big idea?" the Professor asked, rubbing his back. "What the heck did-no way..." He stopped mid-sentence as his eyes met the cold-stare of a tall, winged SOLDIER...

Meanwhile, Zack pried his sword off of the ground. Before him, laying in a pile, were the three machines which had ambushed him a few minutes ago. His focus turned towards Hollander and he started to walk towards the frightened man.

"Hollander, what's the meaning of this?" Zack asked as he continued to walk. "Do realize what you've just done?!"

Before he could take another step, a familiar broad sword whipped out in front of him. As if on cue, Hollander rose and ran towards the elevator on the other side of the room.

"What are you trying to gain by doing this?" Zack asked, showing no expression on his features. "Angeal."

The former SOLDIER withdrew his weapon. "World domination."

"That's not even funny, man."

Angeal started to walk away. "How about revenge?"

Zack was starting to become frustrated. "For what?" Silence followed his question as his mentor stopped in the middle of the room.

"Angeal!" he called out a second time and watched in awe as a white wing slowly unfurled from Angeal's back.

"I've become a monster, Zack." he said. "A monster's objective is usually world domination or revenge."

"No, you're wrong." the boy retorted as he approached him. "Those aren't the wings of a monster."

Angeal looked at his wing. "Then what are they?"

Zack stopped to catch a stray feather that had been floating around. "Angel's wings."

"Is that so? Then tell me, Zack." Angeal started, his voice slowly rising to a shout. "Tell me what angel's dream of!!?"

Zack stood there in silence. He had no idea how to answer his friend's question...

_"Shing!" _The abrupt sound of scraping metal broke his thoughts and he looked up to see the Buster Sword protruding from the steel floor.

"I'll tell you what angel's dream of." Angeal said as he approached him.

"Please, tell me." Zack answered, a small smile starting to form on his face.

"To be human." A small gasp escaped from Zack as his mentor delivered a swift punch to his stomach, sending him flying backwards. He winced in pain as he rolled along the steel floor, clutching his stomach. Slowly, he rose to his feet and put up both of his arms in defense, but lowered them instead, letting out a deep breath as he did so.

Angeal saw his actions from afar. "Defend yourself!"

The silly grin returned on Zack's face as he shook his head in response. In mere seconds, Angeal had released a powerful attack from one of his materia, which was now headed for its target...

Zack was unaware that he was standing on a huge grating as he tried to defend himself from the blow. Unfortunately, the grating was not strong enough to withstand the attack as it collided into him, causing it to collapse...

Angeal slowly closed his eyes as Zack's cries echoed from the dark pit he created...

* * *

To be continued...Thanks for reading!:)


	7. Chapter 7

Hi there! Here's the next chapter to my fic! I know it's a little shorter than the others, but this chapter's mainly focused on Zack and Aerith so I hope that makes up for its shortness. And speaking of them, it's Valentine's Day so I decided to write up a chapter just for the occasion! I hope it's not too mushy for you readers out there and once again, thank you so much for the kind reviews! Without further ado, here's chapter seven! Enjoy!:)

**Disclaimer:** Final Fantasy VII belongs to Square Enix!!!

* * *

**_A SOLDIER's Promise_**

"Ow!"

"Hold still will you? You're wounds will open up again if you keep moving around!"

Aerith was sitting on the wooden floor next to her flower patch, tending to Zack. Various healing supplies were lying around them: bandages, Cure Materias, and small bottles containing special ointment which Aerith had made from the plants she grew at home. Next to the healing supplies were Zack's upper half of his SOLDIER uniform: the shirt, gloves, and shoulder guards were neatly piled up with the sword sitting on top of them; the dragon pendant that she had given to him was still around his neck and Aerith was glad that he kept his promise of wearing it.

"What a day this has turned out to be!" Zack sighed, his eyes squinting slightly as Aerith applied some ointment on his arm.

"Tell me about it! Especially when you fell from the sky!" she said, stifling a small giggle.

"Wait, what? I fell through the sky?" he asked, scratching the back of his head. "I remember Angeal unleashing his materia and the grating under me falling..."

"And you ended up here!" she said, cutting him off. "You scared me for a moment when you fell on top of my flowers and just lay there. But after a few seconds, you started mumbling and rolling about on the floor..."

"How embarrassing." Zack muttered, looking away from her. "I must have looked like a complete idiot."

"Not quite." Aerith chuckled as she dabbed some ointment on his other arm...

_"Good news, Aerith. Cissnei called and reported that Hojo had gone back to Shinra HQ." Tseng said as he and Reno entered the church. "You can go home now, if you'd like."_

_"It'd probably be best if you hitched a ride with us so you don't have to walk home, yo." Reno suggested, twirling his rod carelessly. "Don't want a pretty girl like you gettin' hurt now; especially after us Turks have worked so hard to keep you outa harm's way!" _

_"I appreciate the offer, Reno." Aerith said, walking towards the pair. "But, I think I'll stay here for a while. The flowers need me."_

_"You care more about the flowers than your safety!?" Reno exclaimed. "Talk about devoted!"_

_"Reno, don't be rude." Tseng said sternly. Reno scratched his head in puzzlement._

_"Uh...are you asking me to be nice, or are you asking me to avoid acting like Rude?"_

_"I think he means that you should show more respect to others, Reno." a soft, deep voice said. Tseng looked up and smiled while Reno started to pout; Aerith turned around to see a tall, bald Turk wearing sunglasses._

_"Oh, hello Rude. Thank you too for protecting me earlier."_

_The tall Turk simply adjusted his glasses. "..."_

_"With that said, Aerith, I'm afraid we must get going." Tseng said, flipping his phone open. "President Shinra is holding a meeting in half an hour and these two have another assignment to take care of while I'm at the meeting."_

_"Hey, what assignment?! You never said anything about any assignment!" Reno protested._

_"He'll tell us when we get back, Reno." Rude retorted. _

_"Thank you, Rude." Tseng said before his eyes met Aerith's again. "Are you sure you don't want a ride to your house?"_

_She shook her head and smiled. "Thank you again, but no. I'd like to stay here with the flowers for a while." He nodded his head and turned away, motioning for his two companions to follow him._

_"Then take care, Aerith." Rude followed Tseng; Reno winked at Aerith and made a gesture indicating that he'd call her. She stifled a giggle at his antics as he went to join the others who were already at the entrance. _

_The roaring sound of the helicopter engine began to fade and finally, the girl was at peace again. She turned and headed back to the center of the room to continue tending to her flowers..._

_Crash!!_

_The sound came from above as a body crashed through the ceiling, creating a massive hole. Aerith gasped in shock as the body fell and landed among the flowers with a sickening thud. Immediately, she ran through her tiny garden to see who had 'dropped' by. The person was wearing clothes that were similar to the Shinra SOLDIERs she'd seen during her incarceration, but what caught her attention was the raven-like hair..._

_"Zack!" she exclaimed. His uniform was torn in several places and cuts marked his arms and face. Without further hesitation, Aerith placed a hand on his chest to feel a pulse; fortunately, there was a strong one, but she wondered how he had survived that fall..._

_"Mom?" Zack asked, his eyes still closed. Aerith smiled and shook her head._

_"Why does everybody call me that?" she asked herself. Almost all the children in Sector 5 looked up to her as a kind mother. Aerith had even asked her mother, Elmyra, and she had also said the same thing. She wondered if this was all a sign..._

_ Suddenly without warning, Zack started to flail about, startling the girl and snapping her out of her thoughts. _

_"Angeal! Why did you do that! What the hell's your problem?!...What do you mean you can't be on that side any longer? Don't listen to that traitor, Genesis! He's just a deserter who took a bunch of SOLDIER 2nds and 3rds with him during the Wutai War!" Aerith silently sat there and listened as he continued to unconsciously yell about two people by the name 'Angeal' and 'Genesis'. Who were they? Were they his close friends in SOLDIER? She mentally noted to ask him about that later when he wakes up..._

_"Mom..." Zack said softly, his face starting to relax. "I...I want to help out a friend. That's all." To Aerith's dismay, several of her flowers had been crushed when he fell; however, she was grateful that the soil had provided as a cushion which had softened his landing a bit. Now she needed to find a way to wake Zack up, but how? To her, it would seem rude to try and shake or slap him awake, knowing that he had already received injuries earlier from fighting and taking a huge fall from the roof...or wherever he had fallen from._

_"Oh, I know!" she exclaimed after a moment of thought. "Maybe this will do the trick." Aerith approached the still-unconscious/sleeping Zack and cupped her hands on her mouth..._

_"Hellooo!"_

_"Mom?" Zack asked, his eyes starting to open slightly. Aerith's eyes sparkled with joy as her waking technique started to take effect on him. She knelt down and leaned closer to his ear..._

_"Hellooo!" Finally, his eyes adjusted to the light and fully opened up. She stood and beamed with joy at seeing him alive and conscious._

_"Hooray!"_

_Zack remained lying on the soil, staring at the rays of light that were seeping through the tiny cracks on the roof. "Heaven?" His view of the ceiling was blocked as Aerith leaned over slightly._

_"Not quite. Church in the slums."_

_"Aerith!" Zack exclaimed, sitting up abruptly. "How did you...ow..." His question was cut mid-sentence as he felt a surge of pain. Aerith gasped in horror as she saw the injury; a deep gash ran across his torso which had also torn his shirt. Immediately, she rushed into another room at the back of the church and came back seconds later with a bundle of healing supplies in her arms which she carefully placed on the wooden floor._

_"Um...Zack..." she began, a tinge of pink visible on her face. "You'll...have to remove your shirt and armor so I can heal that wound on your torso." _

_"Uh...is that...necessary, Aerith?"_

_"Yes!! Don't make this harder than it has to be!! Now remove your shirt and armor and sit still while I try to heal you!" _

"I don't remember asking that question." Zack pondered after hearing Aerith's story. "I think you're just making stuff up."

"Don't tell me the fall knocked your head around, Zack." Aerith chuckled. "You should've seen your face earlier when I asked you to remove your shirt."

"Hah! My face was just fine." Zack said indignantly, looking away. "You should have seen _your _own face when you asked me to remove my shirt!" He waited for an answer from her, but none came. Turning his head, he saw her face; she looked like she was on the verge of tears.

_"Nice going, Zack!"_ he thought to himself. "Aerith, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you in any way." When no response came from her, he gently placed a hand on her. Aerith stopped what she was doing, but averted his gaze.

"But thank you for healing me..." Zack continued, smiling. Mentally, he hoped his words would make her feel better and make up for his rude comment earlier. A sniffle escaped from her, and Zack felt even worse that he had brought up the subject of taking off his shirt. He took both of her hands, making her drop the bandages and gave them a small squeeze.

"I swear, Aerith!" he pleaded, now on the verge of tears as well. "I'm truly s-huh?" The girl had burst out in laughter, throwing her head back as she did. Zack saw tears on her eyes, but this time, they were from all the giggling.

"Oh, Zack!" Aerith exclaimed, her face turning red from laughter. "You...you should have...seen your face!"

For a moment, Zack glared daggers at her, making the girl stop laughing. She couldn't avert her gaze from his serious, Mako eyes.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Zack." she said, feeling slightly guilty for her actions. "I hope I didn't offend you..."

He continued to glare until that familiar grin returned to his face. She returned the gesture and shoved him playfully.

"Oh you! You always do that to me! I thought for a second that you were actually mad at me!" Zack lay down on the floor, laughing.

"I love how you always react to those!"

Aerith stuck her tongue out at him and joined in his laughter. As their laughter died down, Zack lifted his legs towards the ceiling and swung them forward, allowing the momentum to help himself stand up. She watched in awe as he did this; mentally, she told herself to ask him to perform that stunt for her later...

"So, I take it that you're done healing me?" Zack asked, breaking her from her thoughts. He looked at his bandaged torso and arms and did a few squats to loosen a bit of his stiff leg muscles. Aerith nodded and fetched his SOLDIER uniform shirt, armor, and sword which she handed over to him just as he finished his last squat.

"Thank you so much, Aerith." he said, taking the articles of clothing and putting them back on. He then took the small sword from her and twirled it around, but his injured arm wouldn't allow him to do the trick; the sword left his hand and fell on the floor with a clang, startling the flower girl.

"Zack, are you okay?" she asked, hurrying over to examine his bandaged right arm. "Don't strain your arms. They're still injured."

"I'll be okay, Aerith." he said, picking up the sword and this time, securing it on his back without the fancy sword tricks. She nodded and smiled, picking up her healing supplies and placing them on a pew nearby. Underneath the pew she had placed the items on was a box which she pulled out. Zack watched in puzzlement as she looked through its contents until she stood up straight, producing an envelope which she handed over to him with a smile.

"Here. This is for you. If you'll excuse me a moment; I'm going to put my healing supplies away." With that said, she picked up the healing items and walked away into another room. Zack scratched his head and opened the envelope. Inside the small package was a note with a small vial which he took out and examined; a tiny, white flower was encased in the vial. After looking at the beautiful plant, he then unfolded the note and read it...

_Zack,_

_How's everything with you? I hope you're not working yourself too hard. By the way, I'm glad that you kept your promise of wearing the pendant I gave you a few days ago. You don't know how much it means to me when you wear that. When I saw you wearing it back when you saved me from those Genesis clones, I felt really happy because you had kept your promise! Well, here's another little gift for you and it comes directly from the small garden of flowers I grow in the church. Back before I was captured by the Shinra, I always tended to my little flower garden here in this church. One day, while I was pulling the weeds from the flowers, I found this small, white flower sticking out among the huge ones in my flower garden so I picked it. I thought that delicate little flower was a special plant so I placed it in the vial you now have. I know you're probably asking why it's special, right? Well, just take good care of it and you'll see. It may look like some ordinary flower to you, but I'm pretty sure there's something very special with it and I'd like a special person like you to see what it blossoms into. _

_-Aerith_

A soft smile was visible on Zack's face as he folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope which he put in his back pocket. He then noticed Aerith standing there, smiling serenely at him and he went over to give her a hug.

"I promise I will take care of this special flower; and one day, I will show you what it blossoms into. I'm sure it will blossom into something as beautiful and rare as you, Aerith." he said softly as she returned his embrace, wrapping her slender arms around his waist. She looked up at him, her eyes meeting with his friendly mako eyes.

"Zack, I love you." Zack's soft smile became wider as he held onto the vial with one hand while stroking her chestnut locks with the other hand.

"I love you too, Aerith." Aerith simply tightened her embrace and buried her face into his chest.

The two stood there, locked within each others' embrace, trying to make the moment last as long as they could...

* * *

Thanks for reading!:) To be continued...


	8. Chapter 8

I know I haven't updated since Valentine's Day, but I've been busy with a huge research paper that was worth like 1000 points so I had to put off with my writing for a while. Don't worry, I'm officially finished with that research paper after eight, long weeks of putting it together so...yay for me!!!XD I'm also on Spring Break for a week so I'll be able to update on the chapters faster! Thank you once again to all my readers and reviewers and without further interruptions, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!!

**Disclaimer:** Final Fantasy VII belongs to Square Enix!!!

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* * *

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**_A Puppy's Rage  
_**

Aerith led Zack out of the abandoned church and down the dusty streets of Sector 5. Zack's warm, leather hand gently held her hand as they walked together in silence, simply enjoying each other's company. As they walked on, Zack looked at the dreary scenery around him; to their left was a junkyard of sorts. People, children and adults alike, were running about and rummaging through the pile; some of them had the luck of finding something useful such as old tires and wood. He couldn't help but notice that there happened to be a Shinra helmet lying among broken timbers; did the Shinra visit this place often?

Without warning, three hedgehog-like creatures rolled out of nowhere and surrounded the pair. Those who were strolling by or were at the junkyard ran for it. Only two brave men stayed, grabbing anything that could be used as a weapon and clutching on to them as if their lives depended upon them.

"Zack." Aerith asked, trembling with fear. "Let's run." He let go of her hand and grabbed the hilt of his sword, detaching it from its magnetic clip. Zack smirked as he held the weapon out in front of him and readied himself.

"Don't worry, Aerith. I'll protect you. Just stand back so you don't hurt yourself." His eyes looked at the few that had stayed to try and eliminate the beasts. "You guys over there; just go! I don't want you to get in the way!"

The guy holding a bent pipe took a step forward in anger. "What'd you say, punk? I ought to smack you with this pipe instead of those filthy things!" His partner, who was wielding a rusty kitchen knife, placed a hand on the man's shoulder.

"I think he's right. Let's leave this to him."

"What? And give him all the credit for killing those monsters? No way! You can go, but I'm staying here!"

"You idiot! Don't you recognize his uniform?! He's from Shinra!"

"Ha! Shinra? That corrupted company doesn't even care about this dump!"

Zack was trying to keep his rising temper under control. "Hey! I'm from SOLDIER so you better shut your trap, buddy!"

The man with the knife hung the small weapon on his belt. "Look, we're sorry kid. My buddy's just being an idiot here."

"You're being the idiot! Can't you see they're just hedgehogs! Even this pipe can kill them! And for Gaia's sake, you have a knife! It's called stabbing them with it!" Without hesitation, he took his partner's knife and charged at the hedgehogs.

"I'll show Shinra and their petty SOLDIERs what a man from the slums can do!"

"Zack!" Aerith cried as she ran behind one of the walls nearby. The SOLDIER concentrated his energy towards his materia and charged at the stubborn man. "Stop Blade!" Instead of using the razor-sharp edge of his blade, he used the hilt of the weapon, knocking the man out of the way and preventing him from doing anything else. Then he turned and killed the three monsters with one Tri-Thunder before they could get to Aerith.

"What is this? I can't move my body!" the man exclaimed. He lay on the floor as his partner ran over to help him up. "Thanks for saving him. He sure would've been a goner if you hadn't done anything."

"Sure. No problem." Zack replied, twirling his sword and securing it on his back. "At least you have some common sense..." he eyed the man he had used Stop on. "unlike someone here." Aerith came out of hiding and approached the trio, fearfully looking down at the slayed monsters.

"Heh! You're gonna regret knocking me out of battle with your stupid materia! Wait till I report you to the Shinra authorities for attacking me. I'll have your butt behind bars before you can say Shinra!" the man on the ground spat.

"Zack just saved you so you better thank him, mister!" Aerith said angrily, her hands on her hips.

"Thank him for what he did to me? Yeah right!" he snorted. The other man had enough of his stubborness; he grabbed him by the front of his shirt and lifted him up with such ease, it surprised Zack that a man without the enhancements of Mako had this kind of strength.

"Look." the man growled. "You're right; the Shinra can be cruel and unforgiving at times, but today, someone from Shinra just did us a great service which we should be thankful for! And if it hadn't been for this SOLDIER, you would've been dead by now." He let go of his shirt, causing the man to fall down, and turned to shake Zack's hand. Those menacing eyes he had a moment ago were now replaced with bright, cheerful ones.

"Thank you so much, mister SOLDIER!" he said, extending his hand. Zack rubbed the back of his head with one hand as he took the man's hand with the other.

"No problem. They were no sweat, really. I've fought their kind before so I kind of know their weakness." The man on the floor muttered something inaudible, but the others ignored him and carried on with their tiny conversation.

"You know, for someone who's with the Shinra, you're pretty kind." he said, letting go of Zack's hand and fishing in his pocket. "But anyways, I want you to have this as a token of my appreciation. I found this lying among a pile of wood. I noticed you used your materia a lot so here's something that may be of help to you. Honestly, I don't know what it does, but you SOLDIERs are always around these things more than us so you probably can tell what it does." He opened his hand and a light yellow materia dropped on the SOLDIER's hand. Zack inspected it carefully; it was a Jump materia. He thanked the man and put the materia away in his pocket and looked at Aerith, smiling and extending his hand.

"Ready to go, Aerith?" she nodded, taking his hand and the two continued down the street towards the marketplace.

* * *

Tseng was sitting at his desk, flipping through several papers in a manila folder labeled _Sector 1 Reports._ Sighing, he closed the folder and threw it onto his desk where a small stack of folders were beginning to pile up. Nearby, Cissnei was sitting on the sofa, reading a book. At her foot lay a box of unread folders which Tseng assumed were more filed reports from different Sectors.

"You look like you could use a vacation, Sir." she said, flipping the page on the book. "By the way, did you manage to escort the girl back to her home?"

Tseng picked up the next folder from another box near his desk and opened it. "Yes and no. We managed to drop her off at the abandoned church in Sector 5. Apparently, Hojo and his goons were at Aerith's house so we took a bit of a detour. But don't get me wrong, the girl's safe now."

"How do you know that, Sir?"

"We guarded her during the emergency and waited until Hojo left Sector 5. Besides, that fool never bothered to check the church so we were pretty much safe. I guess Elmyra said something that prompted him to return here."

"Nicely planned out, Sir." At that moment, the phone on the desk rang. Tseng ceased reading the reports and picked it up.

"Tseng of the Turks speaking."

"Hello, Turk." Immediately, Tseng's eyes narrowed at the familiar voice.

"What do you want, Hojo?"

"I'd like to talk to you in my office. It's regarding one of my subjects." A small clicking noise followed his sentence and the Turk returned the phone on the receiver.

"Cissnei, attend to these reports. I need to go to Hojo's office." The female Turk closed the book she was reading and took Tseng's place on the leather seat as he walked to the elevator, sliding his keycard and punching in the numbers to the Professor's office.

_"What does that madman want now?" _Tseng wondered as he watched the numbers on the screen above the doors descend and finally stop at 66 where the elevator stopped as well. The automatic doors opened and he stepped out of the elevator and into Hojo's office. The Professor was sitting behind his desk, a serious look was visible on his wrinkly face.

"Come, Turk." Hojo said, gesturing towards the empty seat in front of his desk. Tseng walked and took his seat; the scientist was eying him warily as he did this which made the Turk a little anxious. Despite his growing anxiety, he kept a casual face.

"You said that this was regarding one of your subjects?"

"Yes. It's about the half-Cetra girl. About a day ago, I prepared one of my experiments for the specimen and sent a SOLDIER to retrieve it from the detention cells. He came back with two dead Genesis clones instead and told me that the cell had been destroyed."

"During the attack, Zack Fair told me he saved the girl from two Genesis clones and carried her out of the building to safety. I took her from there and..."

"And...?" Hojo asked, leaning slightly forward. This would be his chance to bust the Turk for letting his prized specimen escape.

"And took her to a safer area in the Shinra building and placed her in one of the cells there, but that was attacked by the Genesis clones as well. While I was busy fighting them, the girl managed to find a way of escape. It seemed that one of the clones had destroyed the wall and she fled from there."

"Did you go after her, you nitwit?" Hojo questioned, his temper rising.

"I tried to, but there were so many clones and machines in the area that by the time we cleared them out, she was nowhere in sight. At the time, the radars had been destroyed so an air search was useless."

"Hm. Interesting. So you don't know where she went?" Tseng shook his head.

"No, Professor and I'm sorry. We did organize a search party. I took Reno, Rude, and three infantrymen with me to search for her. We searched every Sector, especially Sector 5."

"How odd." Hojo said, placing his hands under his chin. "I was there myself during the attack in search for the girl as well."

"Wait. You were performing experiments _during _the attack? We told all Shinra personel to evacuate immediately!" Tseng said. He couldn't believe that this man valued his research more than his own life!

"Of course, Turk. Rain or shine, attack or no attack, I always conduct my experiments. I never let a day go without some sort of research done."

"Well, what did the mother say to you, Hojo?"

"That woman? Oh she said she didn't even know where the specimen was and there she thought that I would believe her lies. I had my guards arrest her and now she sits in the very same cell Specimen AG01 used to be in. I left a nice little letter in the house just in case she should stop by there." His spectacles glinted under the light as his eyes narrowed and a grin spread wide across his face. "My specimen will learn the error of her ways soon enough."

Tseng remained silent throughout the ordeal, but deep inside, he was starting to worry for Aerith. He could just imagine the look of devastation on the poor girl's face when she reads Hojo's letter and finds out that her mother had been arrested.

"Well, is that all you called me over for? I do have some work to attend to." Hojo waved a hand, gesturing him to leave.

"Yes, yes. I simply wanted to know how Specimen AG01 managed to flee from here. I'm sure it will be returning here sometime soon." With those words, Tseng stood up and headed for the elevator. When he had stepped inside, he punched the number 67 onto the keypad.

"I'm going to make sure Elmyra doesn't become Hojo's lab rat. She has nothing to do with Project Cetra and that lunatic goes as low as taking Aerith's mother hostage just to make the girl come here."

* * *

"Well, here we are. Behind those doors is the marketplace. It's fun because there's lots of shops."

Aerith and Zack stopped before two huge iron doors. He turned around and folded his arms across his chest.

"You know, it's kind of stuffy here." She giggled at the comment.

"Really? But it's always like this!" Zack took a moment to look around before noticing the metal plate high above them. He grinned and pounded his fist on his hand.

"I know why! You can't see the sky!"

"Who would want to see the sky?" Aerith asked, gazing down at the ground. "I wouldn't want to." Zack's grin was replaced with a look of puzzlement as he went over to her.

"Wouldn't you miss seeing the sky if you lived under the plate all year round?"

Aerith looked off to the side. "I guess I'm not normal." He scratched the back of his head.

"The word 'normal' is overrated. You want to talk about it?"

"It's just...when I look at the sky, I feel like it's sucking me in." she looked up at him, a small smile on her face. "Kinda weird huh?"

Zack shook his head, smiling. "Not at all. But, listen to me Aerith. One day, I'll take you to see a big, beautiful sky!" She went to gazing at the floor again, her serene smile replaced with a face of anxiety.

"I don't know..."

"Oh come on! I know you'll love it!" Zack pleaded, spreading his arms wide open. "And it won't just be any ordinary sky. I'll take you to a grassy field under a big, blue sky!" He placed his hands on her shoulders, causing the girl to look up at him. "And I promise I'll be there with you so you won't get scared."

She nodded, the small smile returning to her face. "Okay." He let go of her shoulders and extended his hand.

"Let's go in and have a look around, shall we?" She giggled and took his hand, following him in as the huge iron doors automatically opened for them. Once inside, Zack looked around in awe.

"For a marketplace in the slums, this isn't bad at all."

"No, it's not. When I was little, Elmyra used to take me here all the time to look around or shop."

"Who's Elmyra?" he asked. "Is she your mother?"

Aerith nodded. "Yes, but not my biological mother. My real mother died when I was only four."

Zack lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry to hear that. How did she die? Was it some sort of sickness?" No answer came and this made him look up at her. Tears were starting to stream down Aerith's face as she wiped them away with her hand.

_"Nice going, Fair!" _he thought. "I'm sorry, Aerith. I didn't mean to make you sad. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He wrapped her in an comforting embrace as she tried to stop crying.

"It's okay. It's...not your fault. A few...memories just came back to me...that's all." she said, sniffling, which was followed by a small hiccup. Her eyes widened she quickly covered her mouth with a hand. Zack pulled away and looked at her, smiling which slowly turned into laughter. Soon, she joined in his laughter as well.

"Well...haha! That was unexpected!" Zack chuckled, wiping the tears from his eyes. "You feel better now, Aerith?"

"Yes. Thank you, Zack." she replied, nodding and wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'm sorry for ruining our walk."

"What are you talking about, Aerith?" he asked, wrapping his strong arms around her and stroking her head. "You didn't ruin anything. It's only normal to express your emotions for a loved one who had passed away."

"You're so understanding, Zack."

"Guess it comes naturally with being a SOLDIER." he joked , gently pulling away from the embrace. "Well anyways, I'm glad you're feeling better. By the way, where do you live? I can take you home after we look around here. I'm not on assignment right now so I have some time to escort you before I head back to the Shinra building."

"It's okay, Zack. You don't have to."

"I want to protect you from harm. These are the slums and some people around here aren't as friendly as they seem."

"All right. If you insist. I'll tell you later after we look around here." She lightly tugged at his hand. "Let's go look around. I wonder what the merchants have for sale today."

"Okay." Zack laughed, following her as they started to head towards an accessory store. Suddenly without warning, a boy crashed into him. He turned to face Zack, a look of anger visible on his face.

"Watch it, mister!" With that said, he ran off. Aerith was eying him suspiciously.

"Zack. You didn't just lose any of your belongings, did you?" He looked at her incredulously. What made her think that he had suddenly lost something. Digging into his side pockets, he felt the vial with the flower, his phone, and two materia.

"No...I don't think I lost any-my wallet!" he exclaimed as his hands felt around his empty back pockets. "Was it that kid? I swear when I hunt him down, he'll regret stealing from me!"

"I'm sorry, Zack, but I know that boy. I'll go look for him and ask why he did that." Without further hesitation, she ran off.

"Wait, Aerith!" Zack called out after her, but his call fell on deaf ears as she turned a corner. He folded his arms and looked around. "Well I guess I should ask around as well."

* * *

Tseng took a deep breath before swiping his keycard on the slot next to the cell door. When it opened, he found Elmyra sitting on the cot and looking at him. She looked away when she recognized his face.

"Does Hojo want to interrogate me again, Tseng. I told you, I don't know where Aerith is! She's been missing for a while and I don't know why." The Turk took a seat next to her, straightening his coat.

"Hojo kidnapped her for experimentation...and" He started clenching his fists. "I was involved in it as well..." Elmyra's fist met his face, causing the Turk to fall to the floor clutching his nose as a small stream of blood started to roll down and stain his suit.

"You, out of all people, had to be involved with this!?" she screamed. "You Shinra people are even lower than I thought!"

"Hojo tricked me and forced me to help him take your daughter here!" Tseng reasoned, standing up and walking over to the sink nearby. "I never wanted to take Aerith here. I tried my best to keep her away from Hojo, but I couldn't that time." Silence lingered in the room save for the running water from the sink as the Turk washed his face of his blood and Elmyra sitting at the cot, sobbing quietly.

After cleaning his face, he shut the faucet off and sat back on the cot next to her. "I told Aerith this same story so I feel I should tell you too..." With that said, the woman slowly stopped crying as he told the story of how Hojo tricked him into retrieving Aerith. He told every detail from Hojo tricking him to the part where he was forced to knock out Aerith to capture her.

"I had no idea. I'm sorry, Tseng. It's just that I trust you and I thought you had betrayed our trust." she said, wiping her tear-stained face.

"Elmyra, I would never betray yours or Aerith's trust...ever. Don't worry, I'll find a way to help you out of here before Hojo gets some crazy hypothesis and decides to use you in his experiments."

She sadly shook her head. "No, Hojo won't use me in his experiments; I'm not related to Aerith or her ancestors in any way. Hojo told me that if Aerith didn't come by morning, he would have me killed."

_"Damn it, Hojo! You've gone too far!"_ Tseng thought as he gritted his teeth. "Don't worry, Elmyra. I won't let Hojo do such a thing. I'll get you out of here." With that said, he stood up and headed for the door.

"How are you going to do that?" she questioned. The Turk stopped and turned his head, giving the woman a small smile.

"If I can get your daughter escape from here, then I can get you out too."

"Wait. Aerith's back at Sector 5? How come she didn't come home directly?"

"We were about to take her to the house during the Genesis attacks, but Hojo was there so we had to take a detour and drop her off at the abandoned church instead." Immediately, Elmyra stood from the cot, her eyes widening.

"So that means..." The Turk nodded.

"Yes, Aerith's safely back, but Hojo left a note for her at the house after your capture and once she reads that, she'll be coming back here and straight into a trap."

"Oh no!" she said, starting to panic. "I hope she has the sense to stay where she is!" Tseng turned to place a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Elmyra. We'll take care of it. I'll make sure you go back home to your daughter. Just sit tight in here and wait." He let go and turned away, starting for the door which opened for him. "I think I have a plan that will make Hojo lose his head."

* * *

"What are you doing?"

"He was too fast so I couldn't catch him."

"You didn't even try."

"Well, I can't say that I have."

Zack sighed in frustration as he stood in front of the accessory store, talking with the shopkeeper. Earlier, he had asked him to look out for the boy that had stolen his wallet and the man agreed to help him out; but, when the boy actually ran past his store, the man didn't even attempt to catch the kid.

"It's okay. I'll look elsewhere. Thanks for your help." Zack said, walking away from the store. The man didn't reply as he rearranged his wares on the table. As the SOLDIER walked down the street, looking for someone he hadn't asked yet, he spotted Aerith standing off to the side, catching her breath.

"Hey, Aerith!" he called out, getting her attention as he jogged to her.

"Hey...Zack." she said between breaths. "I saw him and tried to go after him, but he's just too fast! I think he managed to take some kind of materia from one of the stores nearby."

"Yeah, the shopkeeper of the materia store told me that." Zack muttered, rolling his eyes. Like the shopkeeper at the accessory store, the keeper of the materia shop didn't attempt to catch the boy. Instead, he ended up handing the Dash materia over to the boy although he claimed that the boy 'stole' it as well.

"I'm going to take one more look around. You stay here and rest." he instructed. "You did what you could. Just stop the boy for me if he comes by this way." Aerith nodded.

"Okay, but Zack...if we catch him, promise me that you'll hear his story out. There must be a reason why he did this. I just know it."

"All right, Aerith. I promise. I'll go around and check again. Look out for him, okay?" Zack jogged off and turned a corner when his keen eyes spotted the boy, who was talking to the lady of the perfume shop.

"Hey, you! That's enough running away!" he yelled. The startled boy ran off and Zack started broke into a run after him. They circled the whole marketplace before Aerith spotted the boy and stepped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Uh-oh..."

"No more running around!" she said, placing her hands on her sides. Zack emerged from the corner and stopped jogging, relieved that Aerith had managed to stop the small thief.

She took the small boy's hand. "We need to talk." Zack joined them as she led the kid to the wall next to the iron gates. Once there, the boy leaned against the wall, averting both Aerith and Zack's stern gazes.

"All right, kid. So tell me...why did you steal my wallet?" he asked coolly. For Aerith's sake, he did not resort to yelling even though he wanted to so badly after what the kid made him go through...

The boy kept his gaze averted. "Hmph! It's none of your business!"

"It became my business when you took my wallet!" Zack retorted, his voice slightly rising. "You've even got Aerith worried!" The boy lowered his head and started scraping the ground with his shoe.

"My own wallet was eaten by a monster and now I can't go buy medicine!"

"Is that why you stole his wallet?" Aerith asked. "You should have just talked to me! You promised me you wouldn't steal anymore."

"Look, kid." Zack said. "I'll go buy your medicine for you." Immediately, the boy's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Are you sure, Zack?" she asked.

"Yeah. It must have been an emergency if he went as far as to stealing my wallet for money."

"Thanks mister, but..." the boy said, taking out Zack's wallet. "But you don't have enough money to buy the medicine."

Zack's eyes widened. "What!? How much does some medicine cost around here?!" He folded his arms and sighed. "Well then, I guess I have no choice but to get your wallet back from the monster."

"I'll go and help you too." Aerith offered. The SOLDIER chuckled and shook his head.

"No, it's all right, really. Just keep an eye on the boy and make sure he doesn't go stealing again. Those monsters are no match for me!" The little boy went up to him and held out Zack's wallet.

"It's not much, but here's your wallet back." Zack snatched the wallet from his hand.

"Not much?! You're not making it easy for me to forgive you!"

"Be careful out there, okay?" Aerith reminded him, her emerald eyes full of worry. Zack nodded and headed out of the marketplace. When the gates closed behind him, a man ran up to him.

"You shouldn't be out here, kid! There are monsters everywhere!" he exclaimed. The young SOLDIER smirked.

"Perfect. You should get back into the marketplace. I have to go collecting."

"What?!" he exclaimed, bewildered. "You're talking nonsense!"

"I know, but don't worry about me. Just get yourself to safety." The man walked into the marketplace, mumbling inaudibly. Zack stood there, looking around at abandoned streets. His eyes caught sight of an enormous wall plastered with graffiti with a hole in the middle.

"Guess I should check over there. " he said, running off towards said area. Before he could get closer to it, three giant worm-like monsters dropped down in front of him.

"I wonder if these are the monsters that boy was talking about." Zack wondered, whipping out his sword. "Wait, that means...oh, gross! Gotta love this job." He ran towards the sluggish insects and took them down with three swings of his weapon. When he made sure they were no longer alive, he slit one of the stomachs open and plunged his right arm into the organ, trying to feel for the wallet.

"I hope I get some kind of a raise for this!" he muttered, making a face as he heard squelching noises caused by the slimy substance in the monster's body. "This is disgusting!" Finally, his hand clutched something solid and he pulled it out, relieved to see a slime-covered wallet. Opening it, his eyes widened with surprised as he found about a half a million gil in the tiny wallet.

"Wow...that's more money than I can afford."

* * *

"Thanks, mister! Ew, it's all slimy!"

"Hey, quit complaining. You should be glad to even have it back!"

Zack was back at the marketplace, standing in front of the kid who was holding his wallet like a dirty tissue.

"Zack, are you okay?" Aerith asked worriedly. He placed his hands on his hips.

"No worries, Aerith! Not a scratch on me!" his eyes turned back on the boy. "As for you, get ready for the longest lecture of your life!" The kid looked up at him with puppy-dog eyes and this made Zack grin as he took a step back.

"But you're in a hurry so I'll let you go. But remember, if you need help, come talk to me."

"Thanks, mister, but I think I'll pass up on your offer." the boy replied, placing his hands behind his head. "I thought you were one of those people who could buy anything, but your wallet told me something else."

"Don't you mock me, junior!" Zack retorted. "Me and Aerith are going to be rich one day from selling flowers! We call it 'Operation: Midgar Full of Flowers; Wallet Full of Money'!" The boy looked at Aerith, who was trying to stifle a giggle.

"Are you serious, Aerith?" She composed herself before answering.

"Yes, so no more stealing okay?" The kid nodded and started running off before stopping for one last time.

"Oh, and mister, you shouldn't leave your wallet in places where people can easily steal it from you."

"Obnoxious little brat!" Zack yelled. "Get out of here already!" The boy gave him a silly grin before running off for good. Aerith walked over and placed a hand on Zack's shoulder.

"Thank you for helping." Zack turned around and shrugged.

"Eh, it was nothing. Helping little runts like him are one of the tasks SOLDIERs around here have to do besides the usual assignments outside of Midgar." Aerith smiled and took a hold of his left hand.

"C'mon then. Let's go and look around at the shops!"

"Okay." he chuckled, following the excited girl. "Where to first?" He almost bumped into her as she stopped running.

"Hmm...." Aerith pondered. The marketplace was huge; where should they stop by first. Her eyes looked from one store to the next until they stopped a store at the corner. She gave Zack's hand a slight tug.

"How about that store over there at the corner of the street?" she asked. Zack nodded, taking her hand and walking over there with her. As they neared the store, Zack saw the blue, neon sign labeled _General Merchandise_ above it. The lady behind the wooden counter gave them a warm smile as they approached her.

"Welcome!" Her eyes turned on Zack. "Sir, we have a special today on this perfume that your lady friend here might like." She produced a small, round bottle from the counter and sprayed some of the liquid contained in it on a strip of paper.

"Right now, they're on sale for 300 gil." she explained, handing the strip of paper for them to smell. "But for about an extra 200, you can add a special rose oil that will make this perfume smell more extravagant. Would you like to give it a try, sir?"

"For Aerith, sure." Zack said, taking out his wallet. "So it's 300 gil for the perfume..."

"Pay the amount after we've added the rose oil. The price of the oil depends on how many drops you add in." He nodded, returning the 300 to his wallet and placing it in his pocket. She took out another small bottle with a plastic tube attached to its lid.

"This is the rose oil. I'll have you add it in." She said, placing the two bottles on the counter next to each other. "For this type of perfume, you'll need to add exactly 22 drops; no more, no less. A drop is a drop, but a splash..." she explained, lightly squeezing the rose oil bottle which let out a small squirt of it on the counter. "...like the one you just saw here, equals at least 10 drops so please be careful."

"Sounds easy enough." Zack assured, taking the rose oil bottle and connecting the end of the plastic tube into the other bottle. "Here it goes!" He imitated the lady, giving the rose oil bottle a slight squeeze as well, and watched carefully as the small drops came one by one into the perfume bottle. Aerith and the clerk gave each other a smile as they watched him do the procedure carefully.

"And...22! All done, miss!" he beamed, taking the tube out of the perfume bottle and handing it back to the clerk. "So, how'd I do?" She took back the rose oil bottle and placed it on a shelf behind her before examining Zack's work.

"You seem to have put in just the right amount. That'll be 520 gil altogether." Zack took out his wallet and pulled out the requested amount.

"Pretty extravagant for a small perfume, eh?" he teased, handing the gil to the lady before taking the perfume bottle."Thanks, and have a nice day, ma'am!"

"Bye! I hope your lady friend there enjoys the perfume!" the clerk called out, waving her hand. Once they were alone again, Zack handed the perfume bottle to Aerith.

"I don't know if I did my counting right, but I hope you like it, Aerith." She took it from him and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning forward to give him a small peck on the cheek.

"Thank you, Zack. I'm pretty sure you did a fine job adding in that oil." Aerith detached herself from him and sprayed a little of the perfume on her hand.

"Wow, I didn't know you could make perfume, Zack!" she complimented as she took a whiff of the fragrance. His eyes lit up with joy.

"Really? You like it!" She nodded, grinning.

"Yeah! It's almost a shame to use it!" Zack scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as a tinge of pink was beginning to show on his face.

"Heh heh. I-I'm glad you liked it!"

* * *

"Sir, is this really a good idea?"

"If it will keep the girl's mother out of harm's way, then yes."

Tseng and Cissnei were standing in front of Elmyra's cell. Tseng swiped his keycard and the automatic door opened, revealing the woman who was fast asleep on the cot. The two walked in and the door closed behind them.

"Hm? Is it time for breakfast?" Elmyra asked sleepily as she slowly sat up on her cot. Once sleep had left her eyes, they widened at seeing two Turks standing in her cell.

"Tseng! What are you doing in here?"

"We're here to take you home. I got a chopper ready. In order for this to work, you'll be needing a disguise. Cissnei?" At his cue, she stepped forward and handed her a fresh pair of the Shinra guard's uniform and placed the silver helmet that came with it on top.

"Change into that uniform. Cissnei here will assist you in putting it on." Tseng explained, turning and walking out to allow them privacy. Five minutes later, the door opened, revealing Cissnei and Elmyra, whose face was now concealed in the helmet she wore with her Shinra uniform.

"Perfect. Now let's get going." Tseng said and the three of them walked out of the holding cell area and into the corridors of the 67th floor. A Shinra scientist walked by and eyed them warily.

"What are two Turks and a Shinra guard doing here? Only authorized Shinra personnel and prisoners may enter the detention cells."

"Tseng of the Turks." Tseng answered for the three of them, holding up his ID card. "We just received a new Shinra guard from the Academy and we're just showing her around the building." The scientist's face lightened and he walked over, taking Elmyra's gloved hand into a handshake.

"If that's the case, then I welcome you to Shinra Inc. I'm new here myself. Came here from Rocket Town a week ago. A female got through the Academy and made it here as a Shinra guard? That's pretty impressive considering the Captains of the cadets at the Academy are all really strict or so I've heard. What's your name, ma'am?"

Tseng and Cissnei exchanged a glance. They weren't prepared for this and if Elmyra gave her name away, then their motives would be discovered. Shinra personnel, especially Hojo, kept a database of all the people held in the detention cells.

"Myra Boroughs" Elmyra answered sternly.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Boroughs." the scientist said, letting go of her hand. "Listen, if you ever need any assistance, just ask around okay? The people around here are pretty friendly." He leaned over, cupping a hand next to his mouth.

"Except old man Hojo." he whispered. "Don't mess with him or he'll use you in his experiments or so I've heard!" Cissnei and Tseng exchanged looks at hearing this.

"Don't worry." Elmyra assured him. "I've heard some stories about Hojo so I know. Now we must get going, right Tseng?"

He nodded. "Yes, we must, but thank you for greeting our new cadet...um..."

"Mike. I'm with the department of the SOLDIER Mako Treatment Program. If you need me around, just gimme a holler! Later!" He jogged off down the corridors towards Professor Hojo's sample storage room.

"Sir, do you think he'll tell Hojo about 'Myra Boroughs'?" Cissnei asked. Tseng smirked.

"Knowing Hojo, he doesn't care about Shinra army infantrymen. He's only interested in SOLDIER and their enhancements aside from his usual sick experiments. Let's get going. We've wasted enough time over here." The other two nodded before heading down the corridors in the opposite direction towards the elevator. Once there, Tseng promptly pressed a button that would take the elevator all the way to the skyscraper, where the said helicopter was waiting.

"Oh I hope Aerith will be okay." Elmyra said worriedly. "I wish I could contact her somehow."

"She'll be fine, ma'am." Cissnei assured her. "She can take care of herself."

Tseng smiled. _"And I know that she's with a particular SOLDIER right now."_

The elevator stopped and the three stepped out and saw a Shinra chopper waiting for them. Two infantrymen saluted them as they boarded it and followed them inside the aircraft.

"All right. Take us back to Sector 5 to Elmyra's house." Tseng ordered.

"Yes sir!" Elmyra felt her stomach jump as the chopper began to ascend from the skyscraper and off towards the Sector.

"Hopefully, we can get to the house before girl does." Cissnei said. "Or else, Hojo's going to get the girl even if we escorted the mother back home." Elmyra tensed up at the thought of her daughter in Hojo's grasp.

Tseng looked out at the whole of Sector 5 from the window. "Like I said, Cissnei; Hojo's not going to get Aerith back."

* * *

"I think we've went to every store in the marketplace, Zack."

"How about that one over there? I don't think we've been there yet."

Zack and Aerith were taking a small break from visiting the stores. The two were sitting on a bench near the gate leading to the train station. Aerith rested her head on Zack's shoulder, enjoying the feel of the cool metal from his shoulder guard.

"That was really fun, Zack. Thank you so much for everything today."

"No problem, Aerith." he replied, placing an arm around her and drawing her closer to him. "Anything for my little flower." She saw the dragon pendant she had given him a while back and gently held it in her hand, feeling the contours of the mythical creature carved out on the steel.

"You're still wearing the necklace I gave you."

"Why of course! It always reminds me of you when I wear it." Zack said, looking at the passerby who were at the shops nearby. He wished he could stay like this with Aerith forever, but he knew that he couldn't considering his duties in SOLDIER. After Angeal's disappearance in Wutai and the meeting in the Mako Reactor, he began to doubt his mentor. Was he really someone he could look up to? And what about Hojo? He was sure that old man would be looking for Aerith once he found out about her 'escape'. But back during the attacks, Aerith was in real trouble when those two clones invaded her cell. Had the elevator kept going, Aerith wouldn't even be alive right now right here in his arms.

"Zack? Is something the matter? You've gone quiet all of a sudden." Aerith asked, gently pulling away from his embrace and looking up at him.

"Hm? Oh it's nothing." he replied, slowly standing up and offering his hand. "Anyways, I think we've rested enough. Let's go?"

She nodded, taking his hand as he helped her up. "That last store over there is one of my favorite stores. I just love looking around there."

The shopkeeper of the store turned as he saw the pair walking up to them.

"Oh, are you that guy that-yeah you are! Listen, I'm sorry for what happened back there. Please take these along with my apologies." He handed 3 Potions, Somas, and Elixirs to Zack, which he received gratefully.

"We thought you were just some dumb outsider, but you're actually a pretty good guy. Aerith, is this your boyfriend?" the man asked her.

She nodded. "He's strong, funny, and kind." Zack scratched the back of his head.

"Interesting." the shopkeeper said. "This guy has my stamp of approval. I hope you're very happy together. Please, stay awhile and look around."

"Zack, can I look around this store for a moment?" Aerith pleaded.

"Yeah, sure."

"I'll only be for a moment. I promise." With those words she walked over to the table and looked at the different kinds of accessories laid out on it.

"Hey, Aerith?" Zack asked.

"Yes?"

"For waking me up and treating my injuries, I'll buy you a small gift from here."

"But Zack, you've done so much for me already. There's no need to repay me for that."

"In that case, consider it as an anniversary gift of our friendship."

"Are you sure, Zack?"

"Positive. Just tell me what you want and I'll go buy it for you."

Aerith turned back on the table with the accessories and what caught her attention was a pink ribbon hanging from a steel rack.

"Okay...how about that one?" she asked, pointing at the ribbon. Zack took it from the rack.

"Okay, I'll go buy it. Just wait here." He walked over to the clerk.

"How much for this ribbon?"

"Normally, the price is 50 gil, but I'll cut it down to 25 gil just for Aerith."

"Sounds fair enough." Zack said, taking out his wallet and handing him the money. "Thanks, pops!"

"No problem. Hope she enjoys it! Have a nice evening, you two!" Zack walked back to Aerith with the pink ribbon in hand. "I'll tie it on your hair, Aerith."

"Okay, but don't put it on crooked!" she cautioned, turning around. He chuckled as he carefully wound the pink fabric around the braided ponytail at the back of her head followed by a tight knot to make the ribbon stay.

"Did you put it on right? Will it stay on?" Aerith inquired.

"It looks fine. Yeah, it's great!" She turned to face him.

"Thank you so much, Zack. I'll always wear it from now on. Do you have time?"

"Yeah." he replied. "I haven't gotten any phone calls from anybody yet so I should be fine."

"Let's go to my house! I want you to meet my mother, Elmyra. You should try her cooking, it's really good!"

"Okay." He chuckled at her excitement. "I'll escort you there. How far is it from here?"

"If we head out the marketplace through the iron gates and head back down the street towards the church, there should be an intersection down the block and we can turn left. My house should be down that street."

He took her hand. "All right. Let's get going before it get's too dark." She nodded and the two of them walked out of the marketplace and down the street...

* * *

The chopper landed on an open area near the house as Tseng, Cissnei, and Elmyra unbuckled and stepped out. Tseng took out a key which he used to unlock the house.

"Hm. Nobody seems to be here. Aerith must still be at the church." Tseng said, handing the key back to Elmyra.

"Well well well. I guess I caught more than a fly in my trap!" Immediately, Tseng and Cissnei drew their weapons out. The lights were suddenly turned on to reveal Hojo and three Shinra guards with their rifles aimed at them.

"Drop your weapons now!" one of the guards ordered. Neither Tseng nor Cissnei lowered their weapons. A click sounded from all three rifles as the guards all aimed at Elmyra.

"If you fail to comply with our orders, we will open fire!" the other guard said. Slowly, both Turks bent down and placed their weapons on the wooden floor. Hojo smirked.

"You thought you could get away with helping my specimens escape, Turk! I'll have this reported to President Shinra so I can have you fired. As for that 'Shinra guard' standing between you two, I'm presuming she's that girl's mother. Remove your helmet!"

"You've got the wrong person! My name is Myra! I'm just a new guard that came in from..."

"The Academy, right?" Hojo cut her off. "Don't give me lies, woman! I know who you are! That's why I sent my assistant, Mike, to the 67th floor with a small device which he attached to your glove when he shook your hand! That little gadget has a built-in microphone which allowed me to listen in on your conversation and I heard Tseng when he mentioned your name. Now, remove your helmet unless you want to become Swiss cheese after my guards are done with you!"

Slowly, she brought her trembling hands around the silver helmet and prepared to remove the headgear when the door behind them suddenly broke down, sending dust and a bit of debris flying everywhere. Using the rising dust to his advantage, the intruder charged into the room at lightning-speed and easily took down Hojo's guards by surprise. When the dust cleared, Zack was standing behind Elmyra with his blade dangerously close to her throat.

"Zack!" Cissnei exclaimed.

"Zack, release her. Don't let your anger get to you." Tseng ordered calmly.

"Why don't you remove that helmet before he cuts your air supply with that sword, hm?" Hojo asked. "Elmyra." At hearing the name, the SOLDIER immediately lowered his weapon and backed away from her.

"What! Then why is she dressed like a Shinra guard?" Hojo cackled.

"No wonder you're in SOLDIER! You don't even have a brain to think because all you're focused on is spilling some blood and showing off your pathetic muscles!"

"What did you say you underhanded snake?! I oughta lop your head off right here!"

"Oh I wouldn't do that, SOLDIER boy." Hojo sneered, snapping his fingers. A heavy thud sounded behind the them and Zack was horrified to see an unconscious Aerith chained and gagged. Two Shinra infantrymen were standing on either side of the girl, holding tranquilizer guns.

"Aerith..." Elmyra whispered, too shock to move or say anything.

"You bastard!" Zack screamed, wheeling around and charging towards Hojo. "Aerith is not an-" His sentence was cut off as he felt something piercing the back of his neck, causing him to fall to the floor.

"You really don't have a brain, do you?" Hojo asked, taking out a syringe from the pocket of his lab coat. "Or were you blind enough not to notice that the guards had tranquilizer guns?"

"Shut...up!!!" Zack managed to say as every muscle in his body began to numb from the effect of the tranquilizer dart on his neck. To everyone's surprise, the young SOLDIER slowly grabbed a hold of his hilt, but before he could make another move, he felt about ten more darts hitting his back. He fell to the ground totally immobilized and Hojo took the opportunity to grab the boy's arm and insert the syringe.

Without warning, Zack took him by surprise by jumping up and ramming the Professor's body against the wall. He threw a hard punch at Hojo which dislocated his nose and caused his spectacles to fly off.

"Don't treat Aerith like an animal you piece of shit!" Zack growled, throwing another punch which caused blood to start streaming from Hojo's mouth. More of the tranquilizer darts landed on the SOLDIER's back as he continued to attack the Professor, but they no longer had any effect on the boy. The guards dropped their guns and went over to try and stop Zack's onslaught. Tseng and Elmyra went over to Aerith to see if they could unlock the chains while Cissnei took her shuriken and the syringe on the floor.

"I'm sorry, Zack, but I have to this for your own good." she whispered before running over to the scene. Cissnei told the two exhausted guards to move before properly inserting the syringe into Zack's neck.

Hojo opened his eyes when he heard a heavy thud. He saw Zack crumpled on the floor, unconscious and Cissnei standing there beside him, holding the syringe in her hand.

"It took you a while, Turk. I should tell President Shinra to deduct your salary!" Hojo remarked sarcastically. The female Turk said nothing and pulled out her phone to tell the infantrymen in the chopper to assist her in taking Zack, but before she could dial a number, a wooden baton connected with the back of her head. She lost consciousness and fell to the floor next to the boy.

"Cissnei!" Tseng called out, but froze when the two guards pulled their scarves up to their noses and took out their rifles, pulling the triggers. Instead of bullets flying, a stream of gas came out of the barrels and started to waft around the room. Tseng grabbed Elmyra by the arm and tried to escape through the door, but two more infantrymen emerged from the doorway, releasing more of the gas right into their faces. Soon, they began to feel drowsy and numb as the gas started to take effect on their bodies and they felt themselves hit the floor next to Aerith.

"You all thought you would get away with this?" Hojo asked. The two struggled to look up at him; his battered face was covered with a gas mask which was provided by the guards. The last thing they heard from the madman before slipping into unconsciousness was his bone-chilling cackle...

* * *

Thanks for reading!:) To be continued...


	9. Chapter 9

Well after a much-needed Spring Break, I'm back in school so I won't be able to get back to writing the next chapter out for a while (even though I only managed to update once during my vacation). Sorry for all the delays guys, but thank you so much for reading and enjoying my story! I truly appreciate it! To make it up to you guys, I've made this chapter nice and long and it's focused mainly on Aerith and Zack's growing friendship so...enjoy!!!

**Disclaimer**: Final Fantasy VII and Crisis Core belong to Square Enix.

_**

* * *

Genesis Strikes Again**_

_"Mother?"_

_"Yes, Aerith?"_

_"Is this...the Promised Land?"_

_Aerith was sitting with her back against a giant oak tree. Her biological mother, who she had not seen since the age of four, was taking a seat on the soft grass next to her.__Ifalna looked and dressed exactly as Aerith remembered her: a long simple, red dress with red heels to match the garment, and her chestnut hair that reached to her knees._

_Growing from the grass around them were various kinds of flowers; flowers Aerith wouldn't even come across or be able to plant in Midgar thanks to the polluted air__. The two of them were currently on a vast meadow with a clear, blue sky overhead. This sky felt as if it was 'welcoming' her instead of the usual terrified feeling she would have when she would try to look up at Midgar's gray skies._

_"Yes, this is the Promised Land, Aerith. Isn't it beautiful?" Ifalna asked. The daughter could only nod in response as she continued to look at the scenery in awe._

_"I've been watching you, dear." she continued, lowering her head slightly. "Hojo is at it again, isn't he?"  
_

_"Yes, he is. They're eager to find this place, mother." _

_"The Shinra will not find this place." she chuckled slightly, bringing her daughter closer to her."Only those taken by the Lifestream can find this place of happiness."_

_"But, I haven't been taken by the Lifestream. How is it that I'm able to see you?" Aerith asked, resting her head on her mother's lap._

_"You have the blood of the Cetran race running through you, my dear." she explained, wrapping her arms around her daughter. "Other Cetrans such as myself can communicate with you through the voices of the Lifestream or your dreams."_

_"Is that why I can't see my father? I have always wondered what he looked like."_

_"You will reunited with us when the time is right. Do not worry, Aerith." Ifalna reassured her. "And yes, this is a part of your dreams. I only thought it right to see you again through your sleep." Aerith curled up and snuggled closer to her mother, a few tears of joy starting to roll down her face._

_"And I'm so glad you did."_

_"I've been watching you all this time. You've grown into a strong, young woman, Aerith." she continued as she held her daughter close to her. "And I think that you and this man named Zack Fair are perfect together."_

_"Mom!" Aerith whined, sitting up abruptly. A slight tinge of pink was starting to show on her cheeks. Ifalna couldn't help but giggle._

_"It's perfectly okay, dear. You and Zack remind me of how I met your father at Icicle Inn. He acted so much like Zack."_

_Her daughter smiled, remembering her wonderful time with the SOLDIER at the marketplace the previous night. "Zack is...strong, kind, funny at times, and he really cares about me. He tries to keep me away from Hojo as much as possible, but..." The smile vanished as she lowered her head. "Hojo set a trap up and got us both. I don't know what happened to him after we arrived at my house. I do hope he's okay."_

_Ifalna gently cupped her daughter's chin and lifted her head up until she was looking straight into those emerald eyes. "Aerith, don't despair. I can feel his presence around you as you sleep." She let go and pulled her into her embrace._

_"You should go see him now. He seems to be worried about you. I can hear his voice calling out your name." Ifalna felt Aerith nod._

_"I hope to see you again, mother."_

_"Goodbye...for now, Aerith."_

The dream faded and Aerith's eyes slowly opened as she sat up and rubbed sleep from them.

"Aerith. Are you okay?" a familiar voice asked and Aerith turned her head to see a raven-haired SOLDIER standing beside her. At seeing him, all drowsiness had vanished from her as she quickly gave him a hug.

"Zack! You're okay!" He smiled as she pulled away to look around. "Where are we?"

"In a Shinra detention cell on the 67th floor if I'm not mistaken." he answered. "I'd wipe those tears from you if my hands weren't shackled behind my back, but why were you crying in your sleep?"

"Oh." she said, wiping them away with a hand. "I met my mother in my dreams." She felt the cot sink as he took a seat next to her.

"You're real mother?"

"Yes. She showed me around the Promised Land..." Zack leaned closer, his eyes narrowed.

"The Promise Land that Hojo and the others were looking for?" he whispered.

"Yes, the actual place." she replied, smiling. "It's so beautiful. There are so many flowers there. And a big, blue sky!"

"And you didn't get scared?" he asked, bewildered. "I thought you said the sky seemed to suck you in."

"But this sky's different. Looking at it seems to...comfort me. I feel like I'm at home just looking at that sky."

Just then, their cell door opened, revealing a Shinra guard holding two small bowls which he placed on a small, wooden table next to the cot.

"Hey, how am I gonna eat here?" Zack called out. "My hands are tied behind my back!" The guard merely shrugged as he stepped out and pressed a button.

"Dunno. Use your mouth."

"Why you..." Zack gritted as caught a glimpse of the guard chuckling while the door slowly closed again.

"Don't worry. I'll be happy to help you." Aerith assured him, standing up.

"Well someone's in a pretty cheerful mood." Zack commented as he watched her walk over and collect the two bowls from the small table.

"I guess it's because I had a chance to be with my mother, even if it was only for a moment." she said, taking a seat next to him again. "And besides, being with you, no matter where I am, always makes my worries go away." He was lost for words as she blew on a spoonful of the reddish soup before sipping it.

"This is quite tasty for prison food." she commented, stirring the soup with the spoon. "You should try some, Zack. Here." She placed the warm bowl under his chin as he took a sip from the spoon.

"Yeah, this is some pretty good stuff!" he exclaimed. "Why don't you eat first, Aerith. I prefer my soup a little cold."

"Okay. If you say so." she said, standing up to put his bowl back on the table before returning to the cot again. "But you should eat your veggies if you want to get strong!"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Zack asked as she stifled a giggle before taking another spoonful of her soup.

* * *

Sunlight penetrated through the thin curtains of the window, causing Elmyra to stir from her slumber. Slowly she sat up on the bed she was sleeping on and looked around to see the familiar surroundings of their bedroom.

"Aerith!" she exclaimed as memories of yesterday's events came back to her. She threw the covers aside and stood up, noticing she was still in the Shinra guard uniform Cissnei had given her. Paying no further attention to her attire, she hurried downstairs to see if they were still here...

The living room downstairs was a mess after Hojo's unexpected 'visit'. Broken furniture was strewn everywhere, the wall had been punctured several times, and some of the Shinra rifles the guards had used were laying among the mess as well. She even found the three guards that young SOLDIER had taken care of after breaking down the door; their bodies had been covered by the tablecloth. Placing the cloth aside, she kneeled beside one of the dead soldiers and checked his pockets to see if there was any information of Aerith: a phone, several Materia, and keys, but nothing that would help her...

Suddenly, the phone she had pulled out beeped once, catching the woman's attention. Flipping it open, Elmyra saw the words '1 Voicemail Message' and pressed the Call button to hear the message out. Bringing it to her ear, she heard the following...

_Hey, Captain! Tell Hojo that we got the specimen and injected the virus into her, just as he ordered. She tried to put up a fight with us, but we subdued her, pretty feisty for a specimen if you ask me! Are you done there yet? I'm guessing not since you won't pick up your damn phone! Did that guy that busted the door down help you guys? That uniform's from SOLDIER so I guess he helped out. Better late than never, those SOLDIER people! Well anyways, I'll see you out here and pick up your damn phone!_

Tears started to stream down Elmyra's face as she flipped the phone closed and placed it down on the ground. Hojo had definitely gone too far this time, but what can she do to protect Aerith from the Shinra? What can one person do against a whole company?

As she sat there, sobbing quietly, the sound of a helicopter engine grew louder as two figures dressed in suits stepped through the broken door.

"Elmyra Gainsborough?" The woman snapped her head up and turned to see who had entered the house...

* * *

After their meal, Aerith began to feel drowsy again and was now asleep on the cot. Zack had found a somewhat comfortable spot at the corner of the cell and took a seat on the steel floor, silently watching the Cetra as her stomach rose and fell with each silent breath. He slightly groaned in irritation as the shackles on his wrists started to make him itch again and this time, he couldn't reach at the offending chains to adjust them. Growing tired of this, he started to shake his arms in hopes of making the steel circlets fall on the leather-covered part of his wrists where he wore his gloves. As he did this, the cell door opened once again and a familiar face stepped in...

"Kunsel!" Zack exclaimed, jumping up on his feet. "What are you doing here?" His friend chuckled.

"I should ask you the same question, but I know the answer. Everyone in SOLDIER has heard about your heroics." The raven-haired SOLDIER looked at him in puzzlement.

"Heroics?" Kunsel went over to the table to collect the two empty bowls.

"Yeah. We all know that Hojo isn't well liked here so it was a bit amusing to see someone, who's been enhanced by his own technology, beat up the leader of the Shinra Science Department." Zack was about to scratch his head, but the tugging chains prevented him from doing so.

"Hey, Kunsel. You think you can release me from these stupid cuffs?" Placing the empty bowls back on the table, Kunsel dug into his pocket and took out a silver key.

"You're lucky I have this key. Don't ask where and how I got it!" he said, a small smile creeping on his face as he inserted the key into the locks." Bet you couldn't eat with those on." Zack shook his head.

"Not really. Got some help from Aerith over there."

"Your girlfriend?" he teased, expecting a dejected reaction from his friend, but none came. After the shackles had been removed, Zack turned around and Kunsel saw a serene smile on his face.

"Yeah. She's a special girl alright." Kunsel turned to see her slumbering peacefully on the cot, a small smile on her face.

"She must be if the Shinra want her so badly. Hojo put me on escort duty while you were in Wutai and she was the friendliest girl I ever met. If you ask me, she doesn't deserve to be used in Hojo's experiments." Zack clenched his fists in anger.

"I agree, Kunsel."

A small groaning was suddenly heard from Aerith as her face began to contort in pain and blood began to ooze out of the side of her mouth, staining the white sheets beneath her.

"Aerith!" Zack yelled, rushing to her side.

"I'll go get medical assistance." Kunsel said, taking one last look at them before heading out of the cell and disappearing down the hallway. Zack took his left glove off to feel her forehead; a fever had started. Immediately, he went to the sink on the other side of the cell and turned the cold water on, placing his glove under the faucet. When he felt it was soaked enough, he switched the water off and wrung out the excess water before rushing back to the girl's side and placing it on her hot forehead. More blood streamed out from the side of her mouth and her breaths became labored. Zack silently prayed that Kunsel would be back with the doctors soon...

As if his prayers had been answered, the cell door opened to reveal his best friend accompanied by three people clad in white uniforms. One of them was pushing a gurney into the cell as the other two administered to the girl. Zack moved aside as one of them prepared a blood pressure gauge while the other cleaned her mouth of the blood.

Seconds ticked by as the medic took her blood pressure before scribbling something on his clipboard. Then, he unstrapped the arm cuff and placed it back in a duffel bag.

"Let's take her to the Emergency Room on the 40th floor for examination." The doctor pushing the gurney joined the other two as they prepared to lift Aerith's body off of the cot.

"Allow me." Zack said politely and the three stepped aside as he bent down to cradle her in his arms, lifting her body from the cot.

"Zack." she called weakly as her eyes opened slowly. "What's...happening to me?" He held her close for a moment before gently placing her down on the gurney.

"Shh. You'll be fine. I promise." She gave him a weak smile before shutting her eyes in pain as more blood trailed from her mouth.

"Hurry! She's losing more blood!" The doctor with the duffel bag ordered and the two quickly ushered Aerith out and down the hallway, leaving Kunsel and Zack standing inside the cell.

"Well, are you going to just stand there or are you going to go follow?" Kunsel asked his friend.

"But I'm..." Zack began to protest.

"Supposed to be in here, right?" he exclaimed, cutting him off. "Because Hojo told his morons to put you in here for attacking him, is that it? Screw that old man! Aerith needs your support more than anybody else right now! I'll go with you and if we happen to bump into him, I'll do the explaining, how's that?"

Zack was hesitant for a moment, but his growing anxiety over Aerith's condition trampled any of his petty reasons of why he should stay in this cell. What was he thinking? Of course she needed his support the most!

"You're right, Kunsel." He spotted his wet, leather glove on the floor and picked it up, squeezing it until a few more droplets of water seeped out and fell to the floor. "Let's go! Aerith's waiting." His friend smiled, nodding.

"That's the Zack Fair I know!"

* * *

"Tseng...Cissnei..." Elmyra said quietly as the two Turks approached her.

"Elmyra, are you feeling all right? I managed call Reno and Rude before that gas totally numbed our senses. They came and managed to get you upstairs before the guards could haul you onto the chopper." Tseng explained as he kneeled down to examine the dead Shinra guards beside her.

"Yes, and they managed to get us out before the chopper took off so Hojo only managed to get away with Aerith and Zack." Cissnei added. At the mention of the Cetra girl, Elmyra broke down into tears again.

"Elmyra, what's the matter?" Tseng asked, trying to console her with a hug. "If it's about Aerith, don't worry; we'll get her back here soon."

"It's not that. It's what Hojo had done to her before taking her away." she sobbed, handing him the phone she found on the guard earlier. "Listen to the voice message on this phone."

Cissnei gave Tseng a worried look, but he ignored it as he flipped the phone open and searched for the category marked 'Messages' before pressing the device to his ear. The two watched his face show no change in expression as he listened. A few seconds later, he flipped the phone close and stood up, extending a hand to Elmyra.

"Grab your helmet. Let's go to the Shinra building." Cissnei looked just as confused as her.

"Why do we need to go there? We'll be sending her into trouble again."

"The President will not be happy to see that our dear friend, Hojo, had just broken a rule pertaining to Project Cetra." Elmyra still did not understand, but Cissnei did, who gave him a smile.

"Indeed. Hojo has broken a rule."

* * *

Zack was sitting in one of the patient rooms on the 41st floor where Aerith had been taken to after examination. Unlike earlier, her breaths were now steady and blood was no longer frothing from her mouth. Kunsel was in the room with them, sitting on a chair next to the window.

"How did she become ill so suddenly?" Zack asked, catching his friend's attention. "I don't think there was anything in the soup she ate or else I would've gotten the same symptoms too."

"Did you eat from her bowl too?"

"Yeah, she fed me a few spoonfuls from her bowl after I had my fill already."

A knock sounded from the door as the doctor who took Aerith's blood pressure earlier entered the room. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. First off, I'm happy to tell you that she'll be fine after spending a few days resting in here." Immediately, a wave of relief washed over Zack at hearing those words. And all this time, he thought it was something serious.

"During examination, we found a virus that was lingering in her body." the doctor continued, placing his hands in his pockets. "It was attacking her cardiovascular system which was causing irregular beating in her heart and internal bleeding. Do you know if she's ever had this virus before?"

Zack looked at the sleeping girl on the bed, trying to remember the times he was with her. "No. I don't think she's ever had this virus before." Kunsel, noticing something, walked over to Aerith and lifted the sleeve of her hospital gown.

"Hey, what's this? Did you guys inject anything into her before examination?" The doctor looked at him, astonished.

"No, we didn't. All we did was give her some medicine to fight the virus. Let me take a look at that." Kunsel stepped aside to allow him to examine the puncture wound.

"Hmm. This is strange indeed. I didn't see this during the examination, but if I'm not mistaken, this purplish ring around the punctured area is connected to the severe symptoms she got from this virus." Zack slowly stood up from his chair, a hint of anger showing on his face.

"Doctor, are you saying that Aerith didn't contract this virus naturally?" The doctor adjusted his spectacles.

"Now that your friend has pointed this out, it does seem like someone had placed the virus into this girl." Zack immediately knew, without a doubt, who was responsible for Aerith's sickness.

"I'm going to make him pay for what he did to her!" Zack said through clenched teeth. The doctor sighed.

"It's about Hojo, right?" The two looked at him in shock.

"How did you know?"

"I know this is his doing. Many patients end up here because of his experiments. I hate to admit it, but I used to be a part of his research team in hopes of furthering my research on diseases. After a year, I decided to drop out of the team and transfer over to the Shinra Medics Center. But all those test subjects he experimented on, their constant wailing and screaming, the endless torture he placed on them; it all still haunts me today."

Kunsel and Zack were lost for words as they absorbed his story.

"This girl..." the doctor continued. "...was lucky to have survived his experiment, even if it was only a small one. When I worked with Hojo, all his experiments ranged from open surgery on a patient who was still conscious on the operating table, to the small injections such as this one."

"Hojo's one terrible man." Kunsel said. "I had no idea that this was all happening in his laboratory." Zack remembered that day he first met Aerith when he got assigned to escort her to his laboratory. He was forced to threaten Hojo with his sword for hurting her and the Professor called backup to take them away for 'interfering' with his research.

"Zack? You look so tense, man. You okay?" Kunsel asked, breaking him from his thoughts. Zack nodded as he sat back down next to Aerith and took a hold of her hand.

_"I'll make sure Hojo never lays a hand on you. That's a promise!"

* * *

_

The helicopter ride back to the Shinra building was silent, save for the sound of the engine and the propellers. Elmyra did not make eye contact with either Turk as they conversed about their plans to have Hojo arrested.

"Are we going to go directly to President Shinra's office?" Cissnei asked Tseng.

"We must, before Hojo gets the chance to talk to him about what we did."

"Sir!" one of the infantrymen called out from the cockpit. "We're nearing the building, but come take a look at this!" Tseng unbuckled his seat belt and walked over to see what he was talking about. About a group of Genesis clones were flying around the building as Shinra infantrymen from the rooftop were trying to shoot them down. The one-winged clones evaded their bullets easily; one of them swooped down and grabbed an unlucky soldier, sending him falling to his death below. A crash was heard as one of them had entered the building, breaking one of the windows. Several helicopters were trying to shoot them down as well, but many of the clones were starting to follow suit and enter the building through the other windows, making it harder to shoot at them without hurting the people inside.

"Do you think you can land this chopper on the rooftop?" he asked the pilot.

"It's risky, sir, but I'll try." He grabbed a hold of the throttle and pushed it, flying the helicopter closer to the building. A sudden crashing noise was heard from the back of the aircraft as a winged clone broke down the door and landed inside, drawing its two short swords out. The two infantrymen sitting at the back opened fire, but they did no effect as it twirled its swords to block all the bullets. Using one of its swords as a boomerang, the Genesis clone threw the weapon at the two guards. Elmyra couldn't bear to watch as the flying sword neatly decapitated its targets, leaving them headless as the heads rolled on the floor of the chopper. The clone grabbed the sword by the hilt as it came spinning back to him and turned around to see Tseng with his handgun aimed at its head.

"Your killing spree ends here." he said, pulling the trigger. The clone crashed into the headless corpses behind him as the bullet pierced its helmet, sending blood spurting out of the wound.

"Sir, we've managed a safe landing!" the pilot called out as several infantrymen from the rooftop entered the battered chopper to see if anybody was injured.

"Take those corpses out." Tseng ordered the soldiers. "The smell of blood is starting to wreak in here." They obeyed, carrying the three corpses out. The Turk spotted Cloud chocobo-like hair among the infantrymen; he was helping the others carry the two soldiers' headless bodies.

"Strife! I have different orders for you. Let them take those two." Cloud nodded, carefully handing one of the soldier's body to his comrades before running up to Tseng.

"Sir, your orders?"

"Go with Cissnei and find Zack while I go with Elmyra to look for Aerith." The young infantryman threw a salute before going to Cissnei, who was inspecting her shuriken. She nodded, indicating that she was ready and the two headed out to find the SOLDIER. Tseng walked over to Elmyra, who was adjusting her helmet.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, but where are we going?"

"There have been a change of plans thanks to the attacks. We're going to go find Aerith and get you two to safety. From what I heard from that message, I'm pretty sure she should be in the Medics Center by now."

"Then let's get going." The two hopped out of the helicopter and ran to the elevator that would take them to the 40th floor.

* * *

Aerith slowly opened her eyes as she heard sounds of metal clashing. Turning her head, she could make out Zack's black uniform and another SOLDIER's purple uniform.

"Zack?" she asked quietly, catching his attention. He was in a sword lock with a Genesis clone as he tried to turn his head to see her.

"Are...you all...right now?" he managed to say as he evaded a sword thrust from another clone. With her eyes fully open now, she realized what was going on and abruptly sat up.

"What's going on?!"

"We're terribly sorry, Aerith." Kunsel answered for his friend as he cast Firaga on a clone's face. "We'll fill you in on the details after we take care of these guys!" She fell silent and watched, terrified, as he thrust his sword into the clone's stomach, causing the enemy to fall to its knees. Seizing the opportunity, Kunsel dragged its corpse over to the broken window, pushing the body over and down to the ground some hundred feet below them.

"Vital Slash!" Zack yelled, slightly startling Aerith. She looked back at him to see his sword raised for an attack. The two remaining Genesis clones charged at Zack, brandishing their weapons. Kunsel brought one of them down with a single Thundara attack, leaving the last one to his friend.

_Shing!_

The sword pierced through the clone's tough armor, as it flew backwards and hit the wall. Aerith brought her hands to her mouth in horror as the winged body slid down the wall, leaving traces of blood on the white surface. Zack wiped sweat from his forehead as he secured his weapon on his back. Kunsel pierced his sword through the other clone's torso to make sure it was dead before placing his sword back on its metal clip.

"Genesis." Zack growled, looking at the Genesis clone slumped against the wall. "What are you trying to do?"

"Z-Zack?" Aerith stammered, her voice snapping Zack out of his thoughts on Genesis's motives. He turned to see her visibly shaken by his battle with the Genesis clones; her eyes were wide with shock and her hands were clutching tightly onto the edge of the white sheets that covered her body.

"Aerith...I'm so sorry." he said, walking over to her and taking a seat on the edge of the mattress. She broke into tears the moment he leaned over and wrapped her in his embrace, stroking her head gently as she cried into his shoulder.

"It's okay now." he assured her, gently pulling her body closer to his. Kunsel watched them silently for a moment before stepping out of the room to give his friend time to calm the girl down.

"Kunsel!" a voice called from down the hallway and he looked to his left to see Tseng, Cissnei, and two infantrymen running towards him.

"Tseng! Cissnei! What are you guys doing here?"

"Is Zack in there?" Tseng asked as he and the others slowed to a halt beside the SOLDIER.

"Yeah, but you may want to give him time. He's in there, trying to console Aerith." Elmyra let out a small gasp from behind her helmet and Tseng's eyes widened.

"Why, what happened to her?"

"Long story short, the room was attacked by a few Genesis clones a while ago and the poor girl's traumatized from our little fight with the things." Kunsel explained.

"I see." the Turk said, averting gazing at the open door beside them. "Well, we need to get Aerith out of this building. You and Zack need to go and help the troops bring down the invaders." As if on cue, Zack stepped out, leaning against the doorpost and folding his arms across his chest.

"I heard what you guys were saying and I'm not about to leave Aerith alone again! As long as Hojo's in this building, I'm not leaving Aerith's side!"

Tseng was about to reason with him when his phone rang.

"Tseng speaking...yes, we're here right now...understood." He closed his phone, returning it to his coat pocket before addressing Zack. "You're in luck, Fair. Hojo's just left the building in a chopper. He received an emergency call from the Shinra facility in Rocket Town a few hours earlier and the Professor needed to leave immediately and according to Rude, he'll be staying there for a week." To Zack, it was a miracle of some sort; now was their chance to get Aerith back home for good.

"Leave Aerith to us, Zack." Cissnei said. "We'll get her and Elmyra back home safely." Zack was about to say something, but hesitated.

"Yes, Zack?" Tseng asked, raising an eyebrow. He shook his head, turning away from them.

"It's nothing. Let me say a few words to Aerith before I go." The Turk nodded in approval and the SOLDIER was ready to step into the room when one of the infantrymen called out his name. Zack turned to face them and the Shinra soldier removed the helmet, revealing a familiar face...

"Wait! You're...Elmyra, right?" Zack questioned her, taking a step back in surprise. She nodded, tucking the helmet under her arm.

"Yes, we met yesterday when you mistook me for one of Hojo's guards." He scratched his head, averting his gaze.

"Uh...listen, ma'am. I'm really sorry about that." Elmyra chuckled at his antics.

"It's perfectly fine, Mr. Fair. And just call me Elmyra like you did a minute ago." Zack smiled, looking up.

"And you can call me Zack."

"May I please accompany you inside? I would like to see Aerith as well." she asked politely and he gestured for her to follow him inside. Aerith had calmed down and was lying back down on the bed, staring out at the broken window nearby. Faint sounds of helicopter propellers and gunshots could be heard outside as the Shinra army continued to battle the invading clones.

As they neared her bedside, Aerith turned her head and was immediately filled with tears again at seeing Elmyra standing there next to Zack. Words weren't needed at this point to express how much they missed each other; Elmyra placed her helmet on a table nearby before going over to her daughter to give a long-awaited hug, which Aerith returned as well. As the SOLDIER watched mother and daughter reunite, he sorely wanted to see his parents again after nine, long years of being away from them.

"Aerith, I'm so glad you're okay." Elmyra said, untying the white neckerchief from her neck and using it to wipe her daughter's tears.

"I'm glad you're safe too, but why are you dressed in a Shinra uniform?"

"It's a long story, honey, and now's not the time to tell you. Right now, we need to get out of this building and go back home safely. Tseng and Cissnei are here to help us."

"But...what about Zack?" Aerith asked, glancing over at the raven-haired boy behind her mother. "Won't he be coming with us too?" Zack gave her a sad smile, knowing that he would have to stay behind to help defend the company from the attack.

"He'll be coming with us later." a voice from behind him answered. Tseng, Cissnei, and the other infantryman had entered the room.

"Wh-what...seriously?" Zack stuttered, lost for words. He knew his duty in SOLDIER was to protect the company at all costs during attacks such as this one. Why was Tseng telling him that he could tag along all of a sudden?

"Cat got your tongue?" Cissnei teased. Nearby, Aerith stifled a giggle.

"We're waiting for Reno to give us the signal to go on underground." the female Turk continued. "Our original plans were to leave as soon as we've found you and Aerith; however, the attacks outside are making it impossible for us to leave. So, we'll wait underground until you and the other SOLDIERs defend this place. Genesis must be stopped if these attacks are to cease; he has caused enough trouble for Shinra." She walked over to the broken window, gazing out at the hazy, night sky. A few winged bodies were hovering up in the air several feet away from them, but were felled as Shinra's homing missiles found their marks.

"But you know what those Genesis clones have that we don't? Wings to fly."

Zack spotted a black feather on the floor. He kept his gaze fixed at the object as he bent down to pick it up, clutching the feather in his gloved hand. "Don't wings turn a human into a monster?" Cissnei shook her head, turning to face him.

"No, Zack. Wings symbolize freedom for those who have none." It was then that Zack remembered the day he had finally seen Angeal since his mission in Banora. It was also the first time his mentor had shown him that single, angel wing he had grown on his back.

"But let's put that conversation aside for another time." Cissnei said indifferently, walking past him and stopping at the doorway. As Zack looked out the window, he saw a familiar SOLDIER fly past their window...

"Genesis!" he exclaimed, snapping out of his thoughts and rushing over to the window to make sure his Mako eyes weren't deceiving him. Careful not to cut himself with the broken glass left on the windowsill, he poked his head out as far as he could to catch a glimpse of the 1st Class SOLDIER flying towards the rooftop.

"C'mon. Let's get going! Genesis just flew up to the rooftop!" Zack said with a determined look on his face. Tseng turned to face Elmyra and Aerith, who had been silently listening to their conversation all this time.

"Aerith, Elmyra. Let's get going." As Aerith sat up, Zack saw the hospital gown she was wearing...

"But Aerith can't go out like that! It's cold out there!" Zack protested. "She'll freeze to death!"

"We have no time to go looking for her clothes!" Tseng said. "We can provide her with a heavy-duty cloak that she can wear to keep her self warm."

"That's not good enough!" the boy retorted, his voice slightly rising. "Even though its heavy duty, she'll need more than those! What if some Genesis clones attack us? What's a cloak going to protect her from? The wind?"

"Are these her clothes, sir?" the infantryman interrupted, stepping up to hand a pink dress and red denim jacket to him.

"Where'd you find these..." the SOLDIER asked, leaning forward slightly to read the last name embroidered on his uniform. "Strife?"

"They were in the closet behind the door." he answered promplty, handing him Aerith's clothing. "And just call me Cloud."

"All right. Thanks, Cloud." Relieved to find her proper clothes, Zack walked over to Aerith to give the dress. "Here you go. Er...the window's broken so we can't close it. Is there a bathroom nearby that you can use?"

"That door right behind my mother leads to the bathroom." Aerith answered, pointing at the said door, getting out of bed, and walking towards the restroom. "I'll only be a minute. No peeking!" When the door had closed behind the girl, Tseng and Cissnei headed towards the door.

"Where you guys going?" Zack asked, peering over their heads a bit. "And where's Kunsel?"

"We'll be just outside." Tseng answered, stopping to turn and face them while Cissnei exited the room. "Kunsel had to answer a call from the entrance. Apparently, the Genesis troops managed to create their own entrance by breaking down the wall. His apologies for leaving in a hurry and on such short notice."

"That's fine." Zack said. "A SOLDIER has to do what a SOLDIER has to do, that's what they always say." Tseng turned and walked away.

"Cloud, stay with them and tell me when they are ready. Zack, when we leave you know what to do, correct?"

"Sir!" he replied with enthusiasm, giving the Turk a salute. After Tseng was out of his view, he relaxed and walked over to the window once more, enjoying the small breeze that cooled his face. After a few moments of silence, Zack turned to face the infantryman who was sitting on a chair next to the bed.

"So, where you from, Cloud?"

"Nibelheim." Zack laughed out loud at his response, slightly angering the infantryman.

"Well, what about you!? Where you from?" The SOLDIER stopped laughing and pointed at himself, grinning.

"Me? Gongaga!" A small laugh escaped from Cloud as he tried to hold it back with a hand. Zack's grin immediately turned into a frown as he pointed at him.

"Hey, what's so funny about that? You been to Gongaga?" A small grin remained on the infantryman's face after attempting to compose himself.

"No, but it's just that...it's such a backwater name."

"Ditto Nibelheim." was Zack's remark which caused Cloud's grin to vanish as well. Elmyra stood nearby, looking at the two with anxiety, hoping she wouldn't get caught in the middle of a fight.

"But I hear there's a Mako reactor there!" Cloud started again, somehow changing Zack's mood as that silly grin returned on his face.

"Yeah, they do, and where there's always a Mako reactor..." Both boys dropped their heads.

"There's always nothing out there." they sighed in unison, looking up at each other momentarily before bursting out into laughter. Elmyra couldn't help but smile at them; one second, they looked like they were going to go at each other's throats and the next, they're good friends.

"Hey what's all the laughter out there?" a voice chimed from behind the door as it opened, revealing Aerith in her pink dress and red, denim jacket.

"Oh, it's nothing, Aerith." Zack chuckled. "It's a country boy thing right, Cloud?" The infantryman nodded in response.

"Oh, you two are so silly!" she said, smiling as she went over to the bed to put on her brown boots. "Where's Tseng and Cissnei?"

"They're outside in the hallway, dear." Elmyra answered for them. "They're waiting for us. Are you ready?"

"Almost." the girl replied as she sat on the bed and bent down to tie the laces.

"Hey, Zack. I always wanted to know...what's SOLDIER like?" Cloud questioned Zack, who in turn looked at him, puzzled.

"Um, I'm not quite getting the question."

"Well, I always thought I could get stronger by joining SOLDIER, but..." Cloud's head lowered. "I never made it in."

"Hang in there, Cloud. You'll get in!" Zack reassured him. "If I can do it, you can too!"

"I don't know, Zack."

"Don't doubt yourself! You can do it!" Aerith answered for Zack, placing a hand on his arm.

"Yeah, me and Aerith are cheering for you, Cloud, so don't give up!" Zack added, a grin of determination on his face. Cloud looked up at them, nodding.

"You're right, Zack, Aerith. I shouldn't be so hard on myself."

"Now that's the Cloud I know!" his friend said, ruffling his blond spikes.

"Now that this matter has been settled, let's get going, shall we?" Elmyra asked, walking over to the table to collect her helmet.

"Zack, I'll see you later. Be careful out there, okay? Don't do anything reckless." Aerith reminded as she leaned over to plant a kiss on his cheek. Cloud tried to suppress a chuckle at seeing his friend turn a bright shade of red after Aerith had pulled away from the kiss.

"All right! Time to head underground." Cloud took his rifle in hand which was leaning against the wall near the door. "Hey, Zack!"

"Yeah?" The infantryman tossed him a bright orb, which the SOLDIER caught easily.

"I found that on one of the clones on the way here. It's of no use to me; maybe you can use it?" Zack opened his hand to see a light blue materia shining brightly. He looked up, grinning.

"Thanks, Cloud."

"No problem." he said, heading out the door as Elmyra and Aerith followed him. Zack closed his hand on the blue materia and absorbed it into himself, the orb dissolving into his hand.

"Now, time to go and stop Genesis!"

"Hmm...You don't look prepared enough to do that." a voice said behind him. Whirling around, Zack saw Angeal standing there with the Buster Sword in his right hand. The giant angelic wing hung from his back, shedding a few feathers as it swayed in the breeze coming from the window.

"So, what's your purpose, Angeal?" Zack asked, placing his hands behind his head. "I don't get what you're trying to do these days."

Angeal averted his gaze. "I don't know myself, either. Sometimes, I feel as if my mind is mired in fog, but Zack..." He swung his sword to the side, causing more of the feathers from his wing to flutter to the floor. "No matter what happens, I must protect my honor. Join my battle. Our enemy is all that creates suffering."

Zack turned away, dropping his hands to his sides as he looked at the scattered feathers on the floor. Even though Angeal was no longer working directly for the company, he was somewhat happy that at least, his mentor would be on their side this time round.

"All right." he said. "I'll help you." When no response came, he turned around to see only the feathers on the floor, but where was Angeal? Walking over to the window, he poked his head out slightly to see if he had flown out, but there was no trace of him. Scratching his head, he turned away to go look for him elsewhere when an arm wrapped itself around his torso and hoisted him out the window. Angeal couldn't help but grin as the young SOLDIER started to flail against his strong grip.

"H-hey! Put me back in the room!" Zack demanded as Angeal slowly started to fly upwards, ignoring him.

"Genesis is up at the rooftop so I'm taking you there. Besides, flying feels...pretty good." Zack felt his stomach begin to plummet as his mentor picked up speed, beating his single wing faster every second. Withing five minutes, they had reached their destination and sure enough, Genesis himself was there. Perched on top of a beam, he held out his arm and something started to glow brightly in his hand. Immediately, Zack knew what he was about to do; he remembered him doing this back in Banora before the village had been neutralized by the Turks.

"He's summoning again!" In a wing beat, they were headed towards Genesis until Angeal dived down towards the helicopter landing area and let Zack down there.

"Hey! Wait!" Zack called, jumping up to try to get his mentor's attention. "Don't leave me here!" Angeal turned around to look back at him as he continued to fly upwards.

"Don't worry! Trust me; you can do this." With those words, he flapped his wing and was off. Genesis had flown off the beam and was headed for Angeal; they clashed in the air, their swords causing sparks to illuminate the night sky.

Back on the rooftop, Zack watched the two helplessly. If only he had a wing, he could assist Angeal in battle...

The ringing of a phone caught his attention. Taking it out, he saw Tseng's name flashing on the screen.

"What does he want now?" he grumbled as he flipped the ringing device open and held it to his ear.

"Helloo?" a female voice sounded through the line and Zack immediately knew who it was...

"Aerith?"

"Yeah, it's me. Is everything okay with you over there? Why is it so noisy?" Zack was about to ask Aerith what she meant by that when he saw a gold, blade-like object pierce the night sky and split it open. The summon that Genesis had called on was here!

"Uh...hey listen. Can I call you back later?" he asked, his eyes fixed upon the blade which had now sliced a portion of the sky and was slowly revealing a gold, metallic dragon head behind it. "A...special guest has just...arrived here. I'll see you later and take care okay?" He nodded before closing the phone; the dragon had emerged through the split sky, giving an ear-splitting roar.

With a grin, Zack put his phone in his pocket and whipped out his sword. "Heh. 'Don't keep your guest waiting', she says!" Before him, the golden dragon gave another roar again and the sky around it started to turn lime green. The SOLDIER stared at the ground in shock as it slowly morphed into a single, metal platform. The summon had brought him to another dimension!

The summon circled above him before swooping down and landing at the edge of the platform, its sapphire eyes looking down at its pint-sized enemy. Without hesitation, Zack rushed towards it, brandishing his sword before squatting down and jumping high into the air. Twirling his weapon in one hand and pointing it downwards, he let loose a few boulder-sized meteors onto the beast's head, causing it to roar in pain. Landing back down on the platform, he looked up to see it detach the eight spikes on its golden wings.

"This doesn't look too good." The golden spires were now headed straight at him like missiles and he rolled aside several times as they landed with a bang next to him. He wasn't so lucky with the last one, however, when it crashed right in front of him, causing him to fly and hit the metal platform rolling. To Zack's advantage, he grabbed a hold of the wired metal he was standing on to prevent him from rolling over the edge. As he clambered back on, he felt the surface shake as the beast slowly walked towards him. Looking up, he saw that the eight golden spires had returned to his wings.

With a growl, the golden dragon built up massive energy in its mouth as it aimed it at the SOLDIER sprawled on the ground. When all of the energy had been gathered into a sphere in its mouth, the summon threw its head forward, releasing the condensed energy towards its target. Jumping up, Zack barely had any time to brace himself before it came into contact with his body...

Zack opened one eye when he didn't feel the attack to see that a strange barrier was encircling him. Dropping his guard, he looked up to see the dragon's tail lashing out at him without much success as its blows hit the barrier surrounding the boy.

"I didn't use any of my materia. Where'd this barrier come from?" he asked as the beast roared once more in anger at not being able to finish off its tiny opponent. Suddenly, Zack felt a familiar presence within him and soon, green streams started to come from the barrier and seep into his body, giving him more strength. As he closed his eyes to receive it, he saw the image of Aerith in his mind smiling at him...

_"Zack." _her voice rang into his head. Was this truly the power of a Cetra or was his head just playing tricks with him? But it had to be real; the energy coming from the barrier felt real enough. It was as if some unknown source had been tapped and was now answering Aerith's plea and providing strength for him.

"Thank you, Aerith." he whispered as he clutched the hilt of his sword with both hands and got into his battle stance. The barrier dissipated as the last of the green streams of energy seeped into his body and now he felt a new strength growing within him.

As the dragon's tail came back at him, he turned his sword around and stabbed it down on its metallic flesh. It cried out in pain and skyrocketed into the green atmosphere, taking the SOLDIER with him. As Zack held onto the hilt of his sword which was still embedded in the tail, he felt the speed increase and was forced to shut his eyes to shield them from the wind that was beating on his unprotected face.

Moments later, he was able to open them again when the beast slowed to a stop in mid-air and hovered in place. Zack looked down to see that the platform he was standing on earlier was now a tiny square from a distance; they must be at least a thousand feet in the air at this point.

His sightseeing came to an abrupt end as the tail violently swung upward, throwing him and his sword off. Before the massive claws could snatch him, he quickly caught his sword and slashed at them, causing the dragon to retract its claws.

"Hell Firaga!" Zack called out, sending three fireballs shooting out of his outstretched hand. The fire blinded the beast momentarily as they landed on its sapphire eyes; Zack safely landed on its shoulder, securing his sword on his back.

"Oh man! That was too close!" he said, wiping sweat from his forehead before leaning against the neck of the dragon. "Right, buddy?" His question was answered with scraping metal as the eight golden spires detached from its wings again. It had made a quick recovery from his attacks and was now making a retaliation.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, bud." Zack smirked as he squatted down slowly, watching the eight lance-like objects taking aim before darting at its target with lightning speed. He jumped high into the air seconds before all eight spires came into contact, causing them to crash into the beast instead. Smoke started to linger around, covering both boy and summon.

A pair of blue eyes revealed themselves through the thick smoke and without warning, a claw shot out and snatched the boy out of mid-air. Zack struggled to get himself out, but to no avail; the beast kept a tight hold around his body.

"What can I do? My materia's tapped of power and I can't pull any ethers out of my pocket thanks to these stupid claws!" When the smoke cleared, he was staring into the sapphire-like eyes of the summon. It growled menacingly and tightened its hold on him.

Zack winced. "A...little too tight there...buddy...Man, I better think of something or else I'm going to be turned into a pancake!" He tried several attempts to free himself as the claws started to put a little pressure on his body...

Without warning, the dragon's claw opened wide, dropping Zack. As he fell, he caught a glimpse of a long, deep cut on its flesh. The sword on his back had sliced through its claw.

"Heh! That's what you get for messing with me!" He grabbed his sword, which was now streaked with its blood, and slashed at the other claw as it came to retaliate; it cried out once more and withdrew once again. As he continued to fall down towards the platform, Zack watched the beast cautiously as it hovered limply in mid-air.

"What's it doing just hanging up there?" As he neared the platform, he did a single flip in the air, allowing the momentum to help him land safely on the surface. His keen ears picked up on a faint sound, the sound of an electric current...

Looking up to find the source of the voice, Zack saw it charging up for an attack; a ball of energy was starting to build up in its jaws.

"You sneaky...dragon!" he gritted, digging into one of his pockets and taking out an orange-like materia out of it. "You're not the only one with a bag of tricks!" At that moment, the ball of energy turned into a stream of blue lightning as the summon released it. Zack absorbed the materia's energy into his hand and secured his sword behind him, clasping his hands together and closing his eyes...

"Bahamut!"

The electricity landed down on the platform, its blast causing the platform to crumble to bits. The golden dragon looked down to see the chunks of metal slowly falling down below and let out a roar.

Another roar echoed and the sapphire eyes quickly looked around. It caught a glimpse of a shadow and was about to turn to see when it was tackled down and when the blue eyes opened, it was looking into another pair of blue eyes...the eyes of a black dragon.

As they fell, the two dragons wrestled each other in the air. Claws slashed, jaws clamped, tails lashed, and blood spilled as they continued their onslaught. After a few more attacks, the golden dragon turned its opponent around and let go. The black dragon stopped and hovered in place, watching the other fly downward; however, it growled as it saw the beast letting out another round of its wing missiles that were headed straight for it.

In an attempt to stop them, Bahamut let out a few fireballs, but they only managed to destroy two out of the eight. As the missiles neared, the black dragon pulled its wings back and let out a huge gust of wind, sending the spires back to its owner. To end their battle, Bahamut let out a stream of its own electricity just as the missiles collided into the gold dragon. Another roar sounded as they exploded on its body and when the smoke cleared, all that was left of the summon was a single, yellow materia.

Bahamut threw its head back and let out a roar of victory, letting it ring throughout the area as it turned back into Zack, who grabbed the floating orange materia in front of him, putting it in his pocket.

"Thanks for your help, Bahamut. I probably wouldn't have defeated that dragon without your help." Gravity pulled his body downwards and the green atmosphere started to morph back into Midgar's smoky, night sky. Zack did another flip in the air and landed on the rooftop where Angeal had dropped him off. Beside his black, leather boots lay the yellow materia of the summon he had just battle a few minutes ago. Picking it up, he turned it around in his palm and inspected the swirling energy contained inside the orb before putting it in his pocket next to his Bahamut materia.

"I'll take this to the laboratory later for examination." Taking a note of his surroundings, he looked up to see just the night sky; there was no sign of Angeal or Genesis anywhere. Not even a single Genesis clone or Shinra helicopter was in sight.

"Where is everyone?" He heard the sound of a helicopter engine as it grew louder and louder. It landed nearby and the side door opened to reveal Tseng, who was shielding his eyes from the beating wind caused by the propellers.

"Zack! Let's go!" Zack took one more look at the empty, night sky before walking to the aircraft. _"Angeal, where did you go?"_

"Someone's waiting for you." Tseng said, stepping aside to reveal Aerith. Zack climbed into the chopper before taking the flower girl in his arms.

"Zack! You're okay!" she beamed, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I was getting worried when we heard a roar."

"Well, let's just say my 'guest' wasn't exactly a human." he joked, gently pulling away from their embrace and leading her to a seat before taking a seat next to Cloud.

"Let's get going, yeah?" he asked, placing his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. "Meanwhile, I'm going to take a little nap." The door behind Tseng closed and the chopper started to move as it ascended into the night sky.

Aerith watched as Zack fell into a light slumber. Strangely enough, she was starting to feel drowsy herself and she leaned over and placed her head on Elmyra, drooping off to sleep as well.

"Great, we got two sleepyheads in here now." Reno remarked quietly as he twirled with his nightstick. His partner, Rude, adjusted his sunglasses and this caught Cissnei's attention.

"Rude, why don't you take off those sunglasses? It's not even daytime." Reno had a grin on his face as he slowly leaned closer to his partner.

"Yeah, Rude! Take 'em off, yo!" He snatched the glasses away from his face and saw that he too was fast asleep. The red-headed Turk pouted in his seat, toying with the sunglasses.

"Make that _three _sleepyheads!" Cissnei and Cloud tried to stifle their laughs while Tseng merely smirked and shook his head in dismay.

_"This is turning out to be one interesting night."

* * *

_

Thanks for reading!:) To be continued...


	10. Chapter 10

Finally, another chapter done! A big thank you goes to the people who put this story in their "Favorites" section...I really appreciate it. But please don't hesitate to leave reviews; I would appreciate those as well.

Sorry once again for the long wait, folks, but I promise you'll like this chapter! Now without further ado, here is the tenth chapter!!!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy VII or Crisis Core!

**_

* * *

_**

**_Revelations  
_**

Zack was in the backyard of Aerith's house, helping the flower girl tend to her plants. It astonished him that the plants had held up so well under Midgar's pollution and lack of sunlight; maybe it _was_ Aerith's Cetra powers and not just a mere coincidence...

But his mind was still trying to figure out about Hojo's plans for Aerith. He somewhat understood the whole ordeal with the Promised Land, but why the experiments? To him, Hojo's "research" was unnecessary; it wasn't going to help anything but reduce the number of prisoners Shinra had...which the Company did not have often. Sometimes, he and the other SOLDIERs would arrest a common thief or a person who had been "disturbing the peace", but they were always released a day after so the cells would remain empty most of the time.

He himself was put into one of those cells yesterday after his failed attempt to rescue Aerith from Hojo; she had been held in there for two and a half months before the first Genesis attack on Midgar earlier. Memories of his first meeting with Hojo's "specimen" flooded back in; now he wondered why the madman had been cruel to her when she was brought to the lab. The sudden thought of Hojo hurting her started to make his blood boil...

"Zack?" Aerith's worried voice snapped him out of it and he found himself staring straight into her emerald eyes.

"Zack...is something the matter? You tensed up all of a sudden." Her worried expression brightened up slightly as she took a hold of his hand which was clutching onto a lily.

"Here, let me finish planting that." He nodded slightly and she giggled as she gently took the flower from his gloved hand. As he watched her delicate fingers removing a clod of soil, his thoughts went back to Hojo. He understood that Aerith was somewhat needed by the Shinra to fulfill their needs, but he still couldn't figure out why she needed to be a lab rat for that scientist.

"Hey, Aerith?"

"Hm?"

"Um...can I ask...what Hojo's been up to while I was out?" Slowly, she placed the lily down on the soil and lowered her head, averting Zack's Mako eyes.

"Well...this and that...I guess." He scooted closer to her and placed his hands on his shoulders. Aerith's eyes began to water as she lifted her head.

"Please, Aerith." Zack begged. Her watery eyes continued to look into his momentarily and then without warning, she flung herself onto him, tears spilling onto his shirt as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Oh Zack...after you and your friends left for your mission, everything seemed like a nightmare I would never wake up from."

"Tell me everything." he said, holding her closer.

"Okay." she replied quietly. "But promise me...you will just listen and not storm off to yell at Tseng and Cissnei for failing to protect me from Hojo."

Zack chuckled. "You know me pretty well, Aerith. Don't worry though; I promise to sit and listen." She returned his assurance with a sad smile...

_"Hey you! Time to get up!"_

_Aerith slowly opened her eyes and saw the barrel of a gun pointed at her face. _

_"What's going on!?" she asked, sitting up abruptly. Three Shinra infantrymen were surrounding her cot, aiming their rifles at her. One of them backed up slightly, allowing a fourth soldier forward. He grabbed her arm, startling the girl._

_"Hojo wants you." he said, pulling her roughly off the bed and flinging her to the floor. The other three immediately surrounded the girl again, their guns still trained on her._

_The one who had shoved her to the ground pulled out a pair of cuffs. "Lie on your stomach, specimen!" She threw him a nasty glare and instantly, she heard the clicking of the guns as their ends touched her head._

_"Don't make this any harder, specimen..." the one with the cuffs warned as he approached her. "Unless you want your brains to be blasted to bits!"_

_"On your stomach...Now!!!" one of the gunmen yelled and Aerith did as she was told, though she kept her angry eyes fixed on the soldier with the cuffs as he knelt down and applied the chains to her already bruised wrists._

_"Good specimen." he mocked, pretending to show affection by stroking her head. His comrades snickered as two of them put away their guns and grabbed her arms, pulling her to her feet. Nearby, the other soldier kept a steady aim at her should she try to retaliate. As they did this, Aerith spat on the one who had chained her._

_"You little..." he growled, wiping his face with his neckerchief. "You'll pay for that." He walked out of the cell, snapping his fingers twice as he did so._

_A sharp gasp sounded from her as the soldier with the gun rammed the butt of his weapon into her stomach, causing her vision to darken..._

_"Tsk tsk, AG01. You've caused trouble again."_

_Slowly, Aerith tried to lift her head up, but couldn't; they had probably numbed her body to prevent her from trying anything funny. Even her eyes refused to open up...  
_

_"Thank you for bringing my specimen here. The four of you are dismissed." The sound of leather boots snapping at attention followed._

_"Sir!" they chimed in unison. She heard the sound of footsteps fading away before the familiar voice spoke up again._

_"Can't move? Good. That is probably best." The numbing effects of whatever drug they had injected into her were starting to wear off and she slowly opened her eyes. Lifting her head slightly, she caught a glimpse of Hojo's eerie smile just as he turned and walked away. Moving her head as best as she could, Aerith took a look around her surroundings; she was confined in what seemed to be like a huge, glass tank. This was probably where all of Hojo's specimens were confined...  
_

_"Move her out of there. It's time to get started." Hojo ordered, exiting the tank through a small, automatic sliding door. Even though the drug's effects were starting to subside, she still couldn't move the rest of her body so all she could do was glare at the two assistants who came and hauled her out to the laboratory. Aerith tried to raise her head a little more to see where they were headed..._

_The girl's heartbeat started to increase gradually as she saw a metal chair; thoughts of Hojo's possible experiments flooded into her mind as they sat her down, locking the metal restraints on her wrists and ankles. Another assistant was punching numbers on a machine nearby the chair and Hojo was watching the preparation with that twisted smile of his._

_"You know, my specimen, I was going to be nice to you today since you've aided me in my research nicely...but since you caused trouble, I've decided to alter the experiment today." He checked his clipboard. "Don't worry too much, just...relax..." A cackle followed his remark.  
_

_Aerith was puzzled by his last sentence. Was he being serious or was he just pulling her leg?  
_

_"Sir, about the dial..." one of Hojo's assistants inquired, snapping the girl out of her thoughts._

_"Turn it up to the fourth level!" Hojo snapped as he continued to look down at his clipboard. _

_"Y-yes, sir...F-fourth level..." _

_"Preparations are finished, sir!" another assistant called out as he finished punching the last of the buttons on the machine. "Shall we proceed to phase two?"_

_Hojo shook his head, placing the clipboard on a desk and approached Aerith who was visibly terrified about the whole ordeal. "Your body should be able to handle this experiment, specimen." _

_"What do you mean!?" she asked, her voice rising. He grabbed her chin, holding it up until she was looking right into his snake-like eyes._

_"Don't use that tone on me, girl, unless you want a more harsher punishment!"_

_"So you're doing this to punish me?! I thought this was an experiment!" She retorted. Hojo let go of her chin and turned his back away from her._

_"Yes, since you did give my guards some trouble, I see this fitting; but, at the same time, this will also further my research." He walked away, waving his right hand in the air. "Now, enough of this useless chatter and let us commence to phase two."_

_"Yes, professor." the assistant next to the machine replied, pressing a button on the device. At first, Aerith felt nothing, but then sudden jolts of electricity coursed through her body causing her to scream out in agony. It seemed like an eternity to her as the strong shocks continued to course through her; the feeling was almost similar to being burned alive. Silently, she prayed to the Planet to somehow end this..._

_And the Planet somehow answered her prayers when she found herself standing among a field of flowers. In front of her stood a familiar person who she had been longing to see..._

_"Mother..." she whispered, unable to control her joy. Ifalna came over and took her daughter in a loving embrace.  
_

_"Aerith, my dear. Don't worry, I'm here now." she said soothingly, stroking Aerith's chestnut locks..._

"So, that's what Hojo's been doing while you were away on your assignment." Aerith concluded, releasing from their embrace and sitting up again.

"Was it the same procedure everyday?" Zack asked worriedly, wondering how she was able to survive that same experiment on a daily basis.

"The first two weeks were all just injections, though I don't know why I always ended up with an illness after those." The young SOLDIER's thoughts suddenly went back to the day of his promotion to 1st Class. The time when he had saved Aerith from those two clones and when he met up with his friend Luxiere on the 67th floor.

The paper he had shown him with the list of viruses Hojo had injected into her...

The paper labeled _Project Cetra_...

"Zack, you've gone quiet again, but that's okay; I already understand." Aerith said, fidgeting with the fabric of her pink dress. "I'm sorry for being such a burden to you."

"What do you mean burden?" he asked, smiling. "Aerith, it's my duty as a SOLDIER operative to help those in need even if it means putting my life or job on the line."

"Yes, but still...I feel so useless when you're out there risking your life for me. I owe you so much for all of your efforts, Zack." He took a hold of her hands, bringing them close to his chest.

"Aerith, there's no need. Like I said, it's my duty to defend Shinra and Midgar and besides, you've already helped me in battle during the last Genesis attack." She looked at him in confusion.

"How so?"

"Well, Genesis had the nerve to call up a summon again and I found myself fighting this enormous, golden dragon. I thought I was going to die when it suddenly threw this huge flaming fireball the size of a meteor, but then...I heard your voice somehow and this strange barrier deflected its attack." Aerith smiled and mentally thanked the Planet for aiding Zack in battle.

"See? If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have survived." He brought her hands to his lips, giving them a small kiss. "I thank you, Aerith."

Her cheeks began to show a tinge of pink. "Don't thank me, Zack. It was the Planet that saved you, not me. I was just simply praying for your safety."

"But it was because of your prayers that saved me." he said, giving her hands another kiss. "Of course, I thank the Planet and your mother as well."

"Mother..." she said, giving him a small smile. "Zack, my mother visited me in my dreams again the other night."

"Oh really? What did you two talk about?"

"Well...if you really want to know, she was talking about you." She giggled as he scratched the back of his head.

"What did she say?" Before Aerith could answer, a phone rang. Zack excused himself as he fished out the device and flipped it open.

"Zack speaking."

"Zack, this is Tseng. Cissnei and I will meet you out in the front. We need to leave for Modeoheim immediately. Our men have sighted Genesis troops in that area. Also, one of the supply pods that Hollander stole from our research facility has been sighted as well. We must go and investigate."

"All right. I'll be out there in a minute."

"Very well." The phone beeped and Zack stood up, returning it to his pocket.

"Work stuff?" Aerith asked. He offered a hand to help her up.

"Sadly. But don't worry, I'll be back. We're just going to go check something out." She took his hand and was immediately pulled up to her feet.

"All right. Be careful out there okay? And don't forget your promise!" Zack scratched his head in puzzlement.

"Wait what...oh! The flower cart, right?" She giggled.

"Have you forgotten Midgar Full of Flowers; Wallet Full of Money?" He laughed, taking her in his strong arms.

"Of course I haven't forgotten! Don't worry though; I'll come here as soon as I get back."

"I love you, Zack." she said, going on her tip-toes to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"I love you too." he replied, returning the kiss on her cheek and squeezing her slightly before letting go. Aerith watched him pry his sword out of the ground, twirling it and securing it on his back before turning to wave goodbye to her. She waved back and then he went into the house, closing the wooden door behind him. Going back on her knees, she picked up the lily from the ground and returned to work, humming a small tune as she planted the flower in the soft soil.

* * *

It was a quiet ride to Modeoheim for Zack, Tseng, and Cissnei save for the humming sound of the engines and the occasional voice coming from the cockpit where Cloud and another Shinra soldier were sitting, steering the chopper. A third soldier was sitting nearby the trio, inspecting his rifle; however, Zack couldn't help but notice the glances he would throw at him often and it was starting to get on his nerves.

"Sir, is there a problem?" he asked the soldier coolly.

"No..." he muttered, keeping his gaze on his gun. Zack's temper was beginning to rise at his defiance.

"Buddy, I'm a 1st Class SOLDIER. Show some manners."

"Why should I?"

Zack stood up abruptly. "What did you just say?" He walked over to the infantryman, grabbing him by the neckerchief and lifting him off his seat slightly. Soon, he was staring right into the furious, Mako eyes.

"I'm a SOLDIER operative and your superior! I give you orders as well so that's why!" Zack yelled. Cissnei, who had been watching them, was ready to get up and stop him, but she felt Tseng's hand on her shoulder, indicating that she should leave them alone. She obeyed, reluctantly sitting back down on the chair.

"For a SOLDIER operative, you lose your cool pretty easily." the soldier smirked. Zack wanted to throw a punch at him for his remarks, but thought better. He let go of his hold on the neckerchief, causing the Shinra soldier to fall down on his seat.

"I'm not going to waste my energy on the likes of you. Shinra has bigger problems than infantrymen defying their superior officers!" He turned away from him and returned to his seat. "Kid, I'd just like to know; do you hate SOLDIER or something?"

"No, I don't hate you operatives; however, I personally believe that Shinra and Midgar do not need you useless SOLDIERs around! Whose job is it to patrol the streets of Midgar? Whose job is it to guide lost children back to their mothers? Whose job is it to scold the young girls who talk too loudly in the trains? It's our job, of course!"

"But whose job is it to protect Midgar in the time of an attack? Whose job is it to run around the city streets, looking for Wutai spies? It's a SOLDIER operative's job of course! If you ask me, I think SOLDIER and the Shinra army are equals and we should work together to get the job done!"

"Hah! Don't make me laugh! Who told you that? Angeal?"

"Watch it, kid..." Zack growled, clenching his fists. "Don't mock him!"

"Angeal..." the young man continued as he dug out a cartridge of bullets from his backpack. "I was assigned to Unit A during the infiltration mission in Wutai." He took out several bullets and started loading them into his gun. "We were in the main base, running around its corridors and trying to find the doors to the courtyard."

"And what's this got to do with me or Angeal?" Zack asked.

"Well, of course, I'd like to thank you for helping us infiltrate the base, but your heroics don't change my views on SOLDIER."

"Enough with your stories and opinions! Get to the point!" Zack snapped, interrupting him once more.

"Well, I was running after this one Wutai soldier and strangely, he vanished into a wall nearby. When I got there, the wall suddenly rotated halfway and a smoke bomb had been dropped. After the smoke cleared, I found myself on the other side of the wall and spotted my squad and your mentor. And do you know what he told me?"

Zack smirked, thoughts of Angeal lecturing the young boy on honor entering his mind. "What did Angeal tell you?"

"He compared me to you! You, the blockhead SOLDIER, and told me that even you could focus better than me! Well you want to know something? I'll prove your mentor wrong! There's going to be a joint training session; Security versus SOLDIER. I'll prove to you which group has the better focus!" The clicking of his rifle followed the remark as he finished loading the bullets into it.

"Then I accept your challenge, kid." Zack said.

"My name's not 'kid'! It's Wedge...Remember it, SOLDIER 1st Class...Zack!"

"You know my name, Wedge. That's pretty impressive for someone who's in the Security Department!" the young SOLDIER teased. Wedge was about to fire back an insult, but a sudden booming sound cut him off as the aircraft rocked violently, throwing him off his seat.

"What's going on?!" Tseng called out to the pilots as he tried to approach them. Zack's hand went to the hilt of his sword, gripping it tightly...

"Sir, several missiles have hit us. Our radars have spotted several Genesis clones below, launching them." Cloud reported.

"Damn!" Zack exclaimed, letting go of the hilt of his sword. Another missile hit the chopper...

"Our engines have been hit!" the pilot next to Cloud called out. "Brace yourselves! We're going down!"

"Prepare for an emergency landing!" Cloud yelled, trying his best to steady the aircraft. At that moment, a third missile hit them again and Zack was thrown off his seat, hitting his head hard on the wall as his body slumped down on the floor.

"Zack!" he heard Cissnei cry out before blacking out...

* * *

Aerith wiped sweat from her forehead as she finished watering the last of of her plants. The garden looked even more better with the stray weeds gone and the flowers watered.

"Now they'll be fresh when Zack comes back and builds the flower cart."

"Aerith!" Elmyra called from the window. "Lunch is ready!"

"All right!" the girl answered, taking one last look at the colorful garden before running into the house. On the dining table were two small bowls of soup and a glass of juice.

"I made beef and vegetable stew. Our grapes were getting ripe so I used them for the juice." Elmyra explained as they both took a seat.

"The soup smells great! Did you go shopping today?"

"Yes, I went to the Sector 5 marketplace after feeding our Shinra guests." At mentioning Shinra, her thoughts immediately went back to their reunion during the Genesis attacks. She glanced up at Aerith, who was blowing the contents of her spoon.

"Aerith...about those Shinra people that came here today..."

"Oh, there's no need to worry, mother. They come here to help." her daughter said before taking a bite.

"I know they're here to help, but still...they are people from Shinra. They'll do anything for the money; even go as far as to murder somebody to get the job done."

"Maybe someone like Hojo or the President of Shinra would do that, but never Tseng or Zack!" she retorted, placing the spoon down in the soup. Elmyra remembered the young, raven-haired SOLDIER introducing himself to her. She had to admit, he was quite funny at times, but still...

"Aerith...Tseng is from the Turks and Hojo hires people like him to come and capture you. I don't want you to end up in his laboratory again let alone, get killed under one of his twisted experiments. And I want you to be especially careful around Zack!"

"Why, mother? He's rescued me from Hojo's grasp many times!"

"Zack is from SOLDIER. People like him are ruthless people, wanting to fight others every minute." Aerith could not imagine Zack killing off innocents.

"Mother, you have to give him a chance. He really isn't that ruthless person you say every SOLDIER is."

"He doesn't seem like one, but you never know, dear. You're not with him all the time." At that moment, Aerith stood up slowly from her chair.

"Excuse me, mother." She walked away from the table and headed up the stairs.

_"Aerith..."_ Elmyra thought as she heard the bedroom door upstairs close...

* * *

"We're not monsters, you hear me? We're SOLDIER! Where's your honor!?"

Zack was inside the abandoned Shinra facility in Modeoheim, catching his breath after a fierce battle with the former 1st Class SOLDIER. Genesis lay a few meters away from him, his wing shedding a few of its feathers. Just like Angeal, Genesis grew a wing as well, except his was the color of the shadows compared to the white, angelic feathers of his mentor's.

"Even...if the morrow is barren...of promises..." Genesis started, slowly getting up on his feet. "Nothing...shall forestall...my return." He staggered backwards a few inches before his black wing beat once, carrying him to the edge of the platform where he stood on the railing.

"If this world seeks my destruction..." he said, allowing himself to fall backwards. "It goes with me." Zack's eyes widen as he watched him fall off. Running to the edge, he peered over the railing to see the one-winged body falling and disappearing into the shadowy depths.

"Genesis." He walked away from the railing, securing his sword on his back. First, Angeal and now Genesis...What was becoming of SOLDIER? Back when he was a 2nd Class, he always aspired to becoming like Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth, but now that he was a 1st, things didn't seem as he thought to be. He never dreamed of fighting Genesis or watching him and his mentor grow wings. Now he wondered; were they both trying to tell him something? Was he...a monster as well?

The ringing of his phone snapped him out of his thoughts as he answered the call.

"Zack speaking."

"Zack." Tseng's voice said. "We found a tunnel after fighting several Genesis troops and monsters. You can't miss the entrance; meet us at the other end when you're finished there."

"All right. I'll be on my way." With that said, Zack flipped the device closed, running towards the elevator...

* * *

The afternoon sunlight penetrated through the cracks of the steel plate above Sector 5, its rays reaching Aerith's bedroom. She slowly opened her eyes to the welcoming light and sat up, rubbing sleep off her eyes. As she sat there, she thought about her mother's words...

_"I want you to be especially careful of Zack!"_

Tears started to well up her eyes and she started crinkling the fabric of her blanket as she thought of him. How could she convince Elmyra that Zack was a good-hearted person?

But she knew well why Elmyra was being paranoid. She remembered one of their meetings with the Shinra when she was only five years old...

_"Aerith is only a child!"_

_"I know, but she's destined to help our Company! Believe me, she will be helping Shinra and all of Midgar if she participates in this!"_

_"Participates? Oh, you're only going to be using her as a subject in those experiments! I've heard how you treat your subjects!"_

_"Elmyra, please believe me! We will treat her with utmost care! I will personally see to it that no harm comes her way."_

_Aerith was sitting at the top of the stairs, watching through the wooden railings as Elmyra argued with a man in a blue suit. This was the second time this week that man came by their house. And he was always asking for her, but she couldn't understand why..._

_"All right. Then allow me to ask the girl."_

_"So be it. Aerith! Honey, could you come downstairs for a moment?" The little girl stood and started to descend the stairs, jumping off the last one before running up to the pair._

_"Yes, mommy?"_

_"This nice man wants to talk to you." she said somewhat cheerfully, though Aerith could see fear looming in Elmyra's eyes._

_"Okay." The girl turned to the man in the blue suit. His sleek, black hair was up in a small ponytail and by his features, he seemed like he wasn't from around here. She wondered where this man originally lived before joining Shinra. _

_"Aerith." he spoke in a monotonous tone. "Did you know, we need you. You're the only one that can save us." Aerith took a step back, hiding slightly behind Elmyra when he smiled, offering a hand._

_"If you help us..." he continued. "There will be nice gifts for you." As she listened to his words, she could sense a hint of malice in them. Even the Planet was telling her to refuse him...refuse to this company that needed her so badly..._

_"No..." she said, shaking her head slowly. "I'm sorry...I don't want to help." For a minute, the man looked crestfallen, but that fake smile soon returned._

_"Please, Aerith?" He took a step forward and she stepped behind Elmyra, clutching the woman's skirt. Elmyra, stepped in between them, an angry look on her face._

_"Aerith gave you her answer and it was no...Now leave and don't come back here!"_

_"Very well." he said, dropping his hand to his side. His smile had vanished as well, replaced by a slight frown. "I shall get going. Aerith will one day regret her decision to help our Company; mark my words." With that said, he turned and walked out the door, closing it slowly behind him._

_"Aerith?" Elmyra asked, turning to see the girl shaking visibly. She knelt down and held her in a loving embrace. "I'm glad you don't want to help them. They're nothing but people who just want more money."_

_"Mommy, why does the scary man keep coming back here?" she asked, looking at her. As Elmyra stared into her watery, emerald eyes, she racked her brains for a way to explain to her that the Shinra wanted her because she was the last Ancient to live on this planet._

_Unable to find a way to explain the situation to her, she merely answered, "I don't know, Aerith. I don't know why the scary man comes back all the time."_

Aerith wiped a few stray tears from her face. Ever since that day, the scary man in the blue suit named Tseng never failed to keep coming back, asking her the same question. It was until she turned nine that he had stopped coming all of a sudden and for two years, Shinra remained silent...until the third year...

_"So...you've decided to come back after all this time? You Shinra people are pathetic!"_

_Aerith heard those words as she entered the house from the back door after working on the garden in their backyard. Closing the door quietly, she snuck through the small kitchen and peeped from behind a wall. _

_"Tseng?" she gasped, spotting the Turk talking to Elmyra. He no longer wore that navy blue business suit, but now had a black suit with a matching tie; however, he still kept that small ponytail of his. _

_"Look, I'm not here to try to convince Aerith to come with us. I'm done working with Hojo!"_

_"Then if you're done working for that lunatic, why did you decide to come back here?" Elmyra fired back; rage evident on her face. "To take all the credit in capturing Aerith?"_

_"Elmyra, I just want to protect that girl from Shinra!"_

Those words rang throughout Aerith's mind as she stared out the window; a pair of small birds were snuggled close to each other, chirping happily. They somewhat reminded her of a certain SOLDIER who was out on a mission...

"Zack. I hope you're doing fine, wherever you are right now."

* * *

Zack slowly took out his sword from its magnetic clip as various monsters dropped in from above, surrounding him and his mentor. Hollander, Shinra's wanted scientist, ran up to Angeal.

"Damn! At least one sample!" His efforts were halted as Angeal's gloved hand grabbed the collar of his shirt, shoving him away.

Zack stood in a battle stance and gripped his his sword with both hands as the monsters started to charge at him. However, he noticed that they weren't running past him and he dropped his guard, turning around to see them attacking his mentor.

"Angeal!!!" He was forced to cover his face with an arm as a bright light started to shine. Hollander quickly got to his feet and ran off, disappearing into another room nearby as the ground started to shake violently. The light dissipated rapidly, revealing Angeal's monstrous form; he resembled a winged centaur, save for the huge mouth located at his torso. The legendary Buster Sword had vanished; an enormous trident now in his mentor's hands.

Zack could not believe this was his mentor, the man who had taken him under his wing...

The man who had been his close friend...

The man who had taught him of pride and honor...

Angeal stood on his hind legs, flipping the trident in the air. Catching it, he fell back on all fours, lunging the weapon right at Zack. One of its sharp edges grazed against the boy's left cheek, leaving a small, deep gash.

"Angeal! What happened to honor!?" Zack cried, looking down at his blade. He couldn't believe he would ever have to do this to his mentor. Anger raged through him and he let it out with a war cry, holding his sword out in front of him.

At that moment, the beast charged at him, brandishing its trident and he was forced to roll away as the weapon swung out at him. Zack thought he was in the clear until a sudden pain shot through his back. Turning around, he saw a glimpse of his blood staining the steel of trident. He placed his hand on his back to feel something warm and wet seeping down his arm.

"Angeal! Why are you doing this!?" he asked before rolling away from another swing. "What's your purpose of showing me this!?"

He answered with another roar and pin-like missiles flew out from his angelic wings, heading for Zack. The boy managed to dodged a few, but the rest of them hit him, embedding into his flesh. Angeal raised one of his arms in the air and in an instant, a wave of thunder shot out of the mouth on his torso. Zack screamed out in pain as the electricity coursed through his battered body and fell to his knees. He stabbed his sword into the ground, using the weapon as his leverage as the thunder ceased, allowing him to catch his breath.

"This is not good." he breathed, looking up at the monster standing several meters away from him. His vision was beginning to cloud up and he could barely stand up. Just then, he heard a metallic sound and felt something bump against his knee. Looking down, he spotted a blue Materia.

"Hey..." he said, picking the bright orb up and examining it. "This is the Materia that Cloud gave me! This may come in handy; let's see what it can do!" Closing his eyes, he absorbed the tiny orb as bluish streams seeped out of it and disappeared into his gloved hand. When the Materia itself disappeared from his hand, he felt a sudden burst of energy coursing through his veins as he jumped up, pulling the sword out and holding it in front of him.

"Cloud, I owe you one for this!" he whispered, grinning. "Don't worry, Angeal! I'm not about to give up just yet! Consider that as a warm-up!" With that said, he ran forward and the creature roared again, letting another round of pin missiles fly at his opponent. This time, however, the tiny pins bounced harmlessly off of Zack as the blue Materia he absorbed a few seconds ago worked its magic.

"So, this is some sort of defense Materia huh?" Zack asked as he jumped over his mentor, raising his blade above his head. He landed on the ground behind the beast, severing both the angelic wings in the process. Angeal cried out in pain, staggering momentarily before regaining his balance and charging at the boy.

Zack stabbed his sword into the ground, leaving it there as he ran towards the charging beast as he dug something out of his pocket. "Now it's time to unleash a little something I got from one of my missions!" He skidded to a halt, catching Angeal off guard as he stopped in his tracks as well.

"What happened, Angeal?" Zack laughed, gripping the item in his hand. "Need to catch your breath? Well, while you do that, let me introduce you to a friend of mine." He threw the item into the air and as it went up, it stopped, floating there as if somebody had put a levitation spell on it.

Zack cartwheeled backwards, landing right next to his sword as he gripped its hilt with one hand, pullling it out and twirling it. "Meet my friend...Ifrit!" Angeal looked up to see a floating, orange Materia which was now unleashing its power, the burst of light blinding him momentarily.

Without warning, the ground beneath him seem to split as the summon emerged from the ground, spewing some fire from below. The ground closed up again as quickly as it split and Ifrit landed on the ground, fire flaring from its fists and hooves.

Now it was him versus a summon; Zack was nowhere to be seen. Angeal raised his trident as he began to charge again, his fierce eyes glowering at Ifrit who continued to stand there, watching him.

With a sudden movement, the summon caught the trident with a fiery hand, melting the steel blades easily. Angeal was forced to let go of his weapon as the heat coming from it became unbearable and Ifrit took the trident, snapping it in half with both hands as if it were a twig. Throwing it aside, Ifrit released more fire from his fists before delivering a swift punch to Angeal's face, sending him flying across the room.

As Angeal hit the floor with a heavy thud, he saw the summon's hooves moving towards him. Before he could stand, he saw the floor moving further away as the beast picked him up by the tail. His world seemed to spin as Ifrit threw him up into the air, followed by a shooting pain in his back as it threw a roundhouse kick at him. Once again, his body sailed across the room, crashing into a steel pillar in the ceter of the room.

At this point, Angeal's body was beyond exhausted and he knew he had reached his limits. He attempted to rise to his feet, only to be beaten back down by the summon as it appeared by his side in a flash, driving his already battered body down with another fiery punch. The steel pillar gave out from the pressure of the attack, collapsing on the floor next to them.

With another roar, Ifrit disappeared instantly, turning into a wave of fire that seared through Angeal's body. He roared until his roar turned into a human's cry of pain; the monstrous body was slowly turning back into human flesh and torn clothing. The twin, angelic wings that Zack had severed earlier were starting to dissipate into small streams of green light, leaving a few stray feathers laying on the floor around his body. The red hilt of the mighty Buster Sword rested in his gloved hand, the long blade lying next to him.

_"This is a fitting end for a monster such as myself." _he thought as he gazed at the clear, night sky which was dotted by a million bright stars. The sound of footsteps caught his attention and he turned his slightly to see a familiar SOLDIER standing beside him...

Zack looked sadly at Angeal. His mentor's face and hair was gray and his clothing looked like it was crusting...signs of degrading; Sephiroth had lectured him on this matter during their investigation at the Mako Reactor. Angeal was dying because of him...

Because he couldn't save him...

"Zack...you have my thanks..." Angeal said quietly as Zack knelt down to hear his friend's parting words.

With the last of his strength, Angeal gripped the hilt of the Buster Sword, lifting the sword up. "This...is for you."

Zack's watering eyes eyed the blade momentarily, looking at his own reflection against its sleek metal. Thoughts of his days as a 2nd Class SOLDIER drifted through his mind, remembering the times he had asked him about the Buster Sword which never left its magnetic clip. Now, the blade was going to be passed on to him...the blade that symbolized Angeal's pride and honor...

Choking out a few sobs, he held out his trembling hands and slowly took the sword from Angeal's hand.

"Protect your honor...always." Those were Angeal's parting words to Zack as he slowly exhaled his last breath, taking one last look as the young SOLDIER kneeling before him before closing his eyes forever...

Zack gasped in shock as he saw the head roll slightly to the side. His body slumped down in grief, lowering the Buster Sword to the ground as tears he had tried to hold back earlier spilled out. Angeal's words suddenly came back to mind as he looked at the peaceful face...

_"Use brings about wear, tear, and rust. Then that would be a real waste!"_

_"You lost your focus again. That's twice you owe me!"_

Standing up, he brought the sword's blade in front of his face, leaning slightly against its flat surface and feeling the cool metal on his forehead. Closing his eyes, he recalled his mentor's words...

_"Embrace your dreams. If you want to be a hero, you need to have dreams...and honor..." _

Zack felt something wet on his forehead. Opening his eyes, he noticed small streams of water trailing down the blade and heard the sound of rainfall gradually getting louder. Lowering the sword, he looked up at the pinkish, cloudy sky as the icy water stung his eyes and blood-streaked skin...

But the young SOLDIER didn't care as he allowed the water to mingle with his fresh tears...

_"Even the sky mourns as well..."

* * *

_

Thanks for reading! :) To be continued...


	11. Chapter 11

Before I say anything else...yes, I changed the title from A SOLDIER's True Dreams, Pride, and Honor to Part SOLDIER, All Hero and I hope I didn't confuse any of you with the title change. I apologize if I did...

I've finally finished chapter eleven! :D Thanks to everyone who has put this story in their favorites, but I'd also like more feedback with reviews...please? Praise...criticism...anything but flames or else...I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND DRAW ON YOUR FACE WITH A MECHANICAL PENCIL!!!

*an eerie silence follows save for a few crickets chirping*

Anywaaaays, I hope you have all had a wonderful summer vacation and I know it sucks that school is now in session once again, but as a small treat, I've made this chapter nice and long so there's more action and of course...Zack/Aerith moments! :p

Oh and not to forget...a special character will be making an appearance in this and future chapters. If you want a hint, let's say he's from...oh, that would give it away for sure! You'll all find out soon enough! :3

So...enjoy! :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core.

_**

* * *

Calm Before the Storm  
**_

Zack was on the rooftop, looking at the view of Midgar and the outskirts beyond. Beside him, Angeal's Buster Sword was leaning against the railing, the sun's rays reflecting off the metal. The sun was slowly beginning to set behind the mountains in the distance as the city before him started to turn on the street lights. Heavy pollution slightly concealed the sun from view, giving the sky a darkish, hazy look.

The young man looked at the sword leaning against the rail. Several memories of his encounter with Angeal weeks ago came back to mind, causing him to unconsciously bring his hand to his face; on the left cheek was an X-shaped scar which was from the trident blade that had cut him before their battle.

"Angeal." he said, bringing his hand down to his side. "I don't deserve this sword. I have no honor as a SOLDIER." A light breeze seemed to answer his question, swaying the dark spikes of his hair. Zack simply looked back at the city which was now dotted with various lights; the last of the sun's rays finally disappeared into the mountains.

He closed his eyes momentarily as another breeze swept by him before opening them again and taking another look at the Buster Sword. His right hand rose slowly, curling his fingers around the bound, red hilt of the blade. Taking the sword from the railing, he gave Midgar one last look before turning away and lifted the weapon in front of him, seeing a clear reflection of himself on the metal.

"But Angeal...even if I may not have any honor...I will still continue to follow my dream of becoming a hero." With those words, he twirled the Buster Sword for a moment before slowly attaching it to the metal clip on his back. He exhaled and started to walk towards the elevator that would take him back to the SOLDIER floor.

* * *

"That will be 10 gil please."

Aerith was doing some shopping at the Sector 5 Marketplace, buying some ingredients for her mother to use in her cooking. Currently, she was at the shop where Zack had bought her pink ribbon after fetching the little boy's wallet.

"Hold on a minute." she said, opening a tiny purse and taking out the amount needed. "Here you go."

He accepted the money and placed it in the cash register on the table. "Thanks, Aerith. Say, where's that SOLDIER boy?"

She returned the purse to the pocket on her red, denim jacket. "Oh, you mean Zack? He's working right now. He was on an assignment to Modeoheim a few weeks ago, but he's returned safely. I haven't seen him around here lately..." Her smile faded slightly as she lowered her head, clasping her hands together in front of her. "Not since he came to visit the day after his return..."

"Is something wrong with Zack?" he asked, taking notice of the seriousness in her voice.

She shook her head. "Zack's fine, it's just...a close friend of his passed away recently." His face dropped slightly as he handed the purchased item to her.

"I'm sorry to hear that." She took the item from his hand with a sad smile, putting it in her grocery bag.

"Well, I should head home before it gets too dark."

"All right, Aerith. Have a safe walk home." She nodded her thanks before departing. As she walked out of the area and down the dusty streets, her mind traced back to the day Zack came to visit her after his return from Modeoheim...

_"There! All finished!" _

_Aerith stood up and removed her gardening gloves, marveling at the small flower garden before her. Small droplets of water fell from the hole on the ceiling and landed on the plants._

_"Sigh. It would have been nice if the sun came out today. Oh well!" She placed the gloves on a pew nearby. "At least they're getting watered!" As she collected her gardening tools and placed them on the pew, she heard a creaking sound coming from the entrance. Pausing from her work, Aerith looked up to see a familiar figure walking in..._

_"Zack!" she exclaimed, placing the last of the tools on the pew before walking up to meet him. The minute she looked up at his face, all joy had vanished. He had a distant look on his face and his eyes were swollen from crying._

_"Zack?" the girl questioned, taking a hold of his limp hands. His eyes slowly met hers, but he kept that distant look. _

_"Aerith..." he whispered. "Can we take...a little walk?" Aerith, still trying to read his face, nodded slowly._

_"Okay, Zack. Let's go to the park." She led him out of the church and down the streets towards the stone wall plastered with graffiti. They walked through the hole in the wall and continued until the swings and the cat-shaped apparatus came into view. Still holding on to his hand, Aerith seated him on one of the swings before taking a seat on the swing beside him._

_"Zack..." she started, still trying to read his face. "You haven't spoken a word since we left the church. What's the matter?"_

_Zack's eyes met hers. "My mentor...cannot work with Shinra anymore..."_

_"Why?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did they fire him?"_

_"No..." he replied, dropping his head. "He didn't leave...that way..." Aerith didn't need to ask further; she understood what he meant. Deep inside, she could feel the Planet speaking to her, telling her that another soul had joined the Lifestream. She stood from the swing and offered her hand to him.  
_

_"I know we just got here, Zack, but maybe you might...feel better if we head back to the church. We can work on putting the flowers together for the flower cart." He gave a small nod in response and took her outstretched hand..._

_Once the pair got back to the church, Aerith let go of his hand and faced him. On his left cheek, she noticed a small scar which was beginning to form into a small X. She was tempted to ask him about it, but feared that the question would make him feel worse._

_"Zack, why don't we get started? I'll start gathering the flowers." For the first time that day, he gave her a smile. It wasn't the familiar grin he always gave her, but rather a small smile._

_"Go ahead and gather the flowers. I...kind of need some time alone if...that's okay with you." _

_"Sure. Take your time, Zack." she said with a somewhat cheerful smile before walking down the isle towards her flowers, stopping in front of the patch and taking a seat on the wooden floor. With Aerith's back to him, he turned away and sat on the floor where he stood, staring at the closed doors of the church. At this point, he couldn't contain his sorrow any longer; he bowed his head and let the tears fall..._

_"Hey Zack?" Aerith asked, looking up at the huge hole on the ceiling where a beam of sunlight shined through, giving light to her and the flowers below. No response came from Zack, but she continued anyway._

_"The sun shines brighter out there right? If we can go there, the flowers will like it..." she turned around, but the smile disappeared as she saw him sitting there, shaking in grief. "Probably..." She stood up, taking small steps toward him. Stopping right behind him, Aerith knelt down and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to the side of his face as he continued to sob._

_"My mother spoke with me earlier...I feel your pain, Zack." she said, giving him a small squeeze. _

Digging out the key from the other pocket on her jacket. Turning the knob, she slowly opened the door, seeing her mother at the kitchen cooking something. A familiar scent was wafting around the room as she entered the living room, placing the bags on the table nearby.

"Mother, I'm home!"

Elmyra turned around, leaving her cooking for a moment to greet her daughter. "Did you get everything on the list?" Aerith nodded, handing her a folded piece of paper before grabbing the gardening gloves hanging from the wall.

"Everything. They're all in the bags. I'll be in the backyard if you need me."

"All right. I'll call you when dinner's ready." Aerith nodded once more before opening the door and entering the garden. As she approached the flowers, a winged figure atop the roof jumped off, silently flying towards the girl...

"Hmm..." the Cetra said, kneeling down and feeling a blue flower nearby. "These bluebells need to have their weeds pulled out." As she looked up, she noticed a single, white feather floating down and landing on her hand. Turning around, she gasped in shock; a man clad in a black SOLDIER uniform like Zack's was standing before her. An angelic, white wing flapped graciously behind him, causing another feather to shed and fly.

"Aerith Gainsborough... the girl who is part of Project Cetra, correct?" Aerith slowly stood up.

"Yes...but I never agreed to participate in Project Cetra." The man clenched his fists.

"I know. Hojo forced you into this project." The lights under the Plate began to flicker on as the sun set, illuminating the dark area. Her eyes grew wide as she recognized the face and took a step back.

"Wait...you're..."

"Angeal Hewley. Former SOLDIER, 1st Class." The girl raised an eyebrow.

"Former? You mean..." He nodded.

"I no longer work with Shinra. Do not worry. I am no longer part of Project Cetra." Aerith relaxed at hearing this, but still kept a wary eye on him.

"My mother told me you had returned to the Lifestream. How did you come back?"

"I did return to the Lifestream, but...I still have some unfinished business here so I'm not quite ready to see the place yet."

_"Mother, what does Angeal mean? Why didn't you let him go to the Promised Land?" _The girl asked mentally. Immediately, her mother's voice sounded in her head.

_"You will see, my child."_

"Aerith Gainsborough, correct?" Angeal asked, interrupting her mental conversation with Ifalna.

"Just call me Aerith."

"Although you are a half-Cetra, you are still able to speak with the Planet. I myself have witnessed this during one of your lab visits."

She lowered her head, remembering the experiments Hojo had in store for her during her incarceration. "Yes, but the Planet hasn't been speaking to me lately."

Angeal rubbed his chin. "Hm. Interesting." Why is the Planet being so quiet with the girl? That much he couldn't understand. All he knew was his final mission before joining with the Lifestream for good...

"I don't know why it's not speaking with you, but I'm guessing it's because of Shinra." At hearing the company's name, her eyes looked at his with concern.

"Zack?"

"Zack will know soon enough when I see him again. I ask that you do not bring any of this up with him at the moment; I promise all will be revealed later on." he said, his wing starting to flap faster.

"Don't worry, Angeal. I won't say anything to Zack." she assured him.

"Good. I'll see you then." In a wing beat, he was in the air, gliding above the rooftops beyond.

"Aerith!" Elmyra called from the window. "Dinner's ready. Oh, and there's someone at the door to see you."

* * *

Hojo was in the laboratory, sitting at his desk which was now littered with crinkled papers. Slamming a book close and tossing it on the desk, he got up and walked to the massive holding tank in the middle of his lab.

"My prized specimen is gone." he said, placing his hand on the cold glass. "Because of that SOLDIER boy!" His eyes narrowed at the thought of Zack interfering with his research again. Because of him, the half-Cetra was now back home, not sitting in this tank like she should be. Now the President would surely be angry with him for delaying them in finding the Promised Land this Company needed so badly.

Suddenly, a bell ringed once nearby and the elevator doors opened, revealing a SOLDIER 2nd Class. Beside him was a strange, cat-like creature, baring its fangs at him. An electric collar was around its neck and the young man next to it was holding the leather leash connecting to it. Immediately, the Professor became fascinated with the creature.

"What is this you bring me?"

"Uh...P-Professor Hojo! Sir!" the young man stuttered, throwing a shaky salute. "Th-this creature comes from Co-Cosmo Canyon! And...and we captured it because of its e-extensive knowledge of the P-Promised Land...Sir!"

Hojo smirked, stepping closer to the pair to examine the beast. Dark orange fur covered it from head to tail and at the tip of the tail was a small flame. Small, colorful feathers and beads adorned its head; these were the symbols of the people and creatures of Cosmo Canyon indeed.

Squatting down, the Professor looked at the beast who was still baring its fangs at him. "I assume that this..._thing_ has a name, SOLDIER?"

"We...we're not sure, Sir. When we capture him, this old man was calling him Na-Nanaki...Sir!"

The animal began to growl, showing more of its fangs, when Hojo lifted its chin. "This will make a fine specimen indeed! And since you don't have a name, I'll give you a _special one_." He chuckled, stroking it in mock affection. "Good kitty!"

Without warning, the beast lunged at him, swiping the spectacles off his face as his claws left its mark on his flesh and lab coat.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING JUST STANDING THERE FOR?!" Hojo yelled as he fought to get the attacker off of him. "DO SOMETHING!"

The SOLDIER frantically dug a device from his pants pocket and pressed a button. The electric collar around the creature's neck beeped once before administering a wave of electricity. Unfortunately, Hojo felt the shocks as well since the attacker wearing the collar was on top of him. Both Professor and cat screamed out in agony and the SOLDIER pressed the button again to stop the shocks, pulling on the leash to drag the subdued beast off the man.

"I-I'm terribly sorry, sir! Are you all right? Sir?" the young man questioned, hurrying to Hojo's side. Without warning, Hojo's fist met his face, causing him to stumble to the ground.

"You should have acted faster than that, SOLDIER! How did you move up a rank anyways?"

Small drops of blood were staining the metal floor as the SOLDIER sat up, clutching his broken nose. "I'm sorry, sir...i-it won't happen again! Sir!" No reply came from the Professor as he sat up, grabbing his glasses and putting them back on. His eyes fell upon the creature which was lying unconscious nearby.

"Take him to the holding tank over there!" he ordered, standing up and holding his hand out. "And give me that remote; it may come in handy! When you've place it in there, you may leave! Let that broken nose be a reminder to act faster the next time round! Got it!?"

Nodding dumbly, the young man handed the small device to Hojo. Standing up, he took the leash connecting to the cat and began to walk to the tank, dragging the limp creature along the floor. When the beast was secured inside its glass prison, the young man ran to the elevator, swiped his card, and entered when the doors opened. When the SOLDIER had gone, Hojo walked to the glass tank to examine the cat.

"You will be the solution to all my problems..." he smirked. "Red XIII."

* * *

"The dinner was great, Elmyra!" Zack said, placing his fork and spoon down on his empty plate. Aerith had finished eating at about the same time and was now standing up, taking Zack's plate as well as her own.

"I'm glad you liked it. I pick only the freshest veggies from the Sector 5 Marketplace!"

Zack took a sip of their homemade orange juice. "Not to mention picking the best fruits from your garden!" She gave him a warm smile before joining her mother in the kitchen to wash dishes.

Having a moment to himself, he looked around the living room. It was a simple room save for cabinet and bookshelf nearby where a few picture frames sat. Standing up, he walked over to examine the frames. A small smile crept on his face as he noticed a certain picture; it was a picture of him and Aerith at the Sector 5 park. During their stroll to the park after recovering his wallet from the monster, he remembered them meeting a man who was working for the news press. Aerith had asked if he could take a picture for a small keepsake and he agreed, offering to take an extra picture.

Zack had kept his picture in his room at the SOLDIER barracks. It was currently sitting on his nightstand next to his bed.

"Zack?" Aerith asked, breaking his thoughts. He turned to see her standing next to him, taking a glance at the picture.

"You still have your picture right?"

"Of course, Aerith!" he said, grinning. "It's in my room and I look at it every night before I sleep!" His answered earned him a playful push from her.

"Oh you!"

"Aerith!" Elmyra called from the kitchen. The sound of running water ceased as the faucet was turned off. "I'll be out in the garden if you need me!"

"Okay!" Aerith replied as Elmyra grabbed the pair of gardening gloves and headed out the back door. After the door closed with a click, Aerith turned back to the picture she was holding. The smile on her face moments ago had now vanished.

"Zack, you've changed a lot since your return from Modeoheim." She gazed at the blade of the Buster Sword which was leaning against the wall next to the door . "It must have taken a lot of strength to put that on your back, huh?"

"Strength?" he questioned, before realizing what she meant. "Oh, Angeal's sword! Yeah, but I've gotten used to its weight now. I can carry it with one hand."

"No, Zack." she said shaking her head. "That's not the kind of strength that I meant. I meant coping up with Angeal's passing. The day after you came back, I noticed that you came without a blade and I know they usually had their blades hanging on their back."

"Yeah." he sighed, gently taking the frame from her hands and placing it back on the shelf. Soon, Aerith found herself in his strong arms as she returned the gesture by wrapping her arms around his torso.

"It took a while to accept his passing..." Zack continued, his eyes now watering. "But now I have accepted and I will carry on his SOLDIER pride by carrying that sword."

Aerith smiled and pulled away from the hug momentarily to look up at his watery eyes. "I know it's hard, Zack, but always remember that I'll be here waiting if you ever need me." She wiped his tears with a finger, moving aside the lone strand of hair that was hanging in front of his face.

"I love you, Zack." He looked deep into her emerald eyes as his face drew closer to hers.

"I love you too, Aerith." With those words, his lips met hers and time seemed to stop as the two stood there, locked in a passionate kiss. Aerith's hands had left his sides and were now ruffling the raven-like hair; Zack's arms remained around her slim waist, giving the girl a slight squeeze as they continued.

The two didn't hear Elmyra as she came back from the garden. The woman just smiled and shook her head as she passed by the two and headed up the stairs. Seconds later, Zack and Aerith withdrew from the kiss and looked into each eyes, smiling warmly as they did so.

"Zack, if you still have time, would you like to go to the park again?" His hands had left her side, taking her hands in his.

"Of course, Aerith. Shall we go now?"

"Sure, but let me go tell Elmyra we're leaving." Letting go of his hands, she bolted up the stairs and disappeared for a moment before coming back down, smiling. "All right. Let's get going!"

"Let's go-huh?" The sudden ringing of a phone interrupted them. Zack dug in his pants pocket and took the sounding device out, flipping it open. "Zack speaking."

"Zack! It's Kunsel! Where are you?"

"I'm here at Aerith's house. Why, is there another mission already?"

"No, stupid! Have you forgotten that we're having a training session with the Security Department today?"

"Oh shoot..." Zack muttered, slapping a hand to his forehead. "I completely forgot!"

"Forgetful as always." Kunsel laughed. "Well, it's going to start in an hour so you may want to start heading back. I'll meet you at the SOLDIER floor and say hi to Aerith for me, will ya?"

"All right. See you later, idiot!" Zack smirked.

"See you later, retard!" Kunsel fired back before Zack closed the phone and returned it to his pocket, sighing in dismay. Whenever he wanted to spend time with Aerith, his job always had to get in the way...

"Work stuff?" she asked curiously.

Another sigh escaped his mouth. "Sadly. I don't think we can go to the park today." Wrapping her arms around his neck, she brought her face close to his until their noses almost touched.

"It's all right, Zack." she whispered, smiling. "Dinner was fun."

He returned the gesture, taking her in his arms once more. "_Anytime_ is fun when you're here with me." He leaned over to give a small kiss on her cheek and she did the same before the two let go. She watched him as he headed out, taking the Buster Sword and securing it on his back before heading out the door. Just as she was going to go up the stairs, the door opened again and Zack popped in momentarily with a grin on his face.

"And by the way, Kunsel says hi!" With those words, he disappeared once more, closing the door and leaving Aerith alone. She stifled a giggle and shook her head as she started up the stairs.

"Zack, you are too silly!"

* * *

The 2nd Class SOLDIER members were all assembled in their respective ranks, resting at ease and awaiting further orders from Zack. The 1st Class SOLDIER walked up and down the ranks before returning to the front to address the men.

"Are you all ready?"

"Sir, yes sir!" they yelled in unison.

"Good. Now just because we're going against the Security Department doesn't mean that we should take this lightly. Who knows, they may have learned some tricks to take us down so take this seriously, got that?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

Zack smiled at them, but raised an eyebrow when he saw them all suddenly stand at attention without his command. Hearing the sound of heavy footsteps, he looked to his left to see Sephiroth walking towards them. He smirked as the General stopped at his side and eyed each and every SOLDIER, causing some of the men to tense up even more.

"Zack, go and address the 3rd Class members. I'll take care of these babies!" Sephiroth whispered to him. He nodded and walked away, throwing a salute to the 2nds as he went; boy, they were going to have quite a training session with the silver-haired SOLDIER in charge.

_"Man, was I lucky to have Angeal as the Captain of our squad when I was a 2nd! I feel bad for Kunsel now." _Zack thought as he walked to the other side of the training grounds where the 3rd Class SOLDIERs were already assembled and standing at attention. He noticed that a line of infantrymen were standing at the front with their rifles resting at their shoulders. As Zack stopped in front of the group, the one at the far left end of the line stepped forward.

"State your business here, soldier!" Zack said, nodding for him to go ahead and talk.

The young man threw a quick salute. "Sir, our captains gave us permission to join SOLDIER in today's training session!"

"Is that so?" Zack asked, folding his arms. "Are you guys trying out for the SOLDIER program?"

"Sir! Yes sir!" the infantrymen exclaimed together. He grinned, extending his hand out to the soldier he was speaking to.

"Well then...you all look like you're ready! Welcome to SOLDIER even if it's just a temporary stay!" They shook hands before the young man fell back into the ranks. Zack's grin vanished, his face becoming serious, as he started to pace the front line.

"So...I'm assuming everyone's here, correct?"

"Sir! Yes sir!"

"All right. Listen up and listen well! This is a piece of advice..." Zack stopped pacing, looking down at his leather boots. "No...an order." He grabbed the hilt of the Buster Sword and took the blade, holding it in front of him. Silence followed as the 1st Class SOLDIER stared at his reflection before placing the cold metal against his forehead.

"Embrace your dreams..." He started, pulling away and lifting the sword up high with one hand. "And whatever happens...protect your honor as SOLDIER!" Smiling, he lowered the sword, twirling it in front of him like a propeller. Some of the 3rd Class SOLDIERs and infantrymen watched in awe as Zack continued to spin the sword with one hand.

"You all got that?" Zack asked, stopping his sword and placing it on his back.

"Sir! Yes sir!"

"Good. Today, we are against the Security Department and they're all nothing more than infantrymen from the Shinra Army. However, that doesn't mean that us SOLDIERs should take this lightly." He went down the line of infantrymen in the front again, stopping at the person in the middle and placing a hand on his shoulder. Helmet or no, Zack recognized his friend anywhere.

"So, you wanna be in SOLDIER?" he asked, grinning. "Hang in there!" Cloud nodded and Zack let go, moving on down the line. As he went, he saw Sephiroth and the 2nd Class SOLDIERs heading out towards another building next to the main one.

"Okay, rookies! Let's go!" Zack exclaimed.

* * *

Wedge and the other infantrymen were assembled in the training facility, awaiting further orders from their captain. Without moving his head, Wedge eyed his surroundings; he couldn't believe that they we're going to have their training session in this small room! Will he and the others have enough room to move around and shoot or use grenades?

"All right, maggots! Listen up!" their captain, Harford, yelled. "We're going against SOLDIER operatives today so you definitely don't want to let your guard down or else you'll become minced meat! SOLDIER is known to take down their targets in one strike so I want you to split into squads and take the operatives down as a group!"

"Captain, is that why we've been going on missions in groups?" one of the infantrymen asked out of turn.

"Yes, and give me 20 push-ups for talking without permission!" he replied sternly. watching him go down on the floor to follow orders. "As I was saying, SOLDIER operatives are experts at combat so they won't go down in battle. Proceed with caution when fighting them; I don't want all of you ending up at the medical ward after this, got that?"

"Sir!" they answered.

"SOLDIER may have their specialties, but we have ours too!" Harford continued. " The head of the Security Department, Scarlet, has asked us to test a few gadgets and machines for her." Wedge and the others watched as he walked over to the three metal crates sitting against the wall and opened one, pulling out what looked like an ordinary rifle.

"This is one of the weapons the department has made recently. It may look similar to the standard guns we carry, but it's been...modified." He smirked as he saw some of the startled reactions of some of the soldiers when he aimed the gun at them.

"Babies..." he muttered, switching his aim to the dummy next to the crates. Slowly, the trigger was pulled...

_Bang!!!_

In a flash, the green-striped bullets embedded themselves in the stitched fabric of the hanging object.

"This rifle can load poisoned bullets and as you can see on the dummy, they are marked with glowing, green stripes." Harford explained, lowering the gun. "The poison is an extract from a tree only found in a forest east of Rocket Town and a small dose of this can take even the biggest of targets down."

Wedge smirked as he imagined defeating Zack with that gun. For sure, the Security Department would win this one tonight!

"Including the one I'm holding right now, there are 10 guns in the crate." Harford continued, returning the gun to the crate. "Whoever wishes to use this weapon may come up and take one from the crate, but you must return it after training."

_"That rifle with the poison bullets looks really nice, but I think I'll wait and see what else the department has for us to test."_ Wedge thought as he watched ten of his comrades step up to retrieve the poison rifles.

Harford opened the second crate and took out what looked like the batons that they used for patrol. "This may look like a normal, wooden baton, but do you see this?" He held up the baton to reveal a small strip of titanium metal lining the wooden shaft of the weapon. "This is called the S-210 or 'The Shocker'. Any unfortunate creature to be hit with this will be paralyzed due to the tiny, metal strip which conducts a certain amount of electricity. The shock waves come from a device that is built into this baton, but don't think that SOLDIER members will easily go down just because of a few jolts from this thing! If you're planning to use this weapon, you should have a combo of attacks to follow or else, your squad will be in big trouble!"

To Wedge, it seemed like the baton would be a risky weapon to use against a 1st Class like Zack so once again, he watched as thirty men went up to retrieve them. Once they returned to their spots among the ranks, Harford opened the final crate and pulled out a sword.

"Normally, only higher-ranked soldiers in the Shinra army are permitted to wield swords, but tonight will be an exception since this is just a training session. There are a set of ten swords in here, each with a unique Materia orb attached to them." He twirled the sword and did a few slashing motions in the air with it. "That's right, ladies. Ten of you are going to be learning how to use basic Materia tonight! There are four different kinds of swords: Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, and Stop."

The soldiers watched as he walked over to the dummy and stabbed the sword into it. Immediately, the hanging object became encased in ice and the additional weight caused the chain attached to the dummy to snap and it fell to the floor, crashing into tiny little ice shards. Wedge, however, wasn't surprised by the demonstration; he had a chance to use basic Materia during his mission in Wutai...the mission that made him loathe Zack Fair.

"As you can see, that was the effect of the Blizzard Materia." Harford explained, picking up the sword. "You should have an idea what the Fire and Thunder ones do, but the Stop is a little different from the other three. What Stop does is numb all the body's functions for a moment, causing the target to literally freeze in its spot. Like the electric batons, it can be an advantage and a disadvantage; your squad should be ready with some combo attacks if you plan to use this sword because a sharp blade and basic Materia like these aren't enough to take a SOLDIER down."

He stabbed the Blizzard sword into the floor and nodded, indicating that the ten who want to use this sword may come up and choose one. Three soldiers stepped up and each picked a sword in the crate before returning to their ranks. Wedge had to think fast before all the swords were taken; he would gladly take one, but which Materia would be best against a SOLDIER like Zack?

"Got two more here!" Harford said, looking into the crate. "A Stop and a Thunder sword are all that's left. Any takers?" Wedge looked around to see if two people would be going to get the said swords.

_"I should go up and get one, but the one I needed is taken!" _He noticed as one soldier went up and grabbed the Thunder sword. _"Well, I guess then I'll just have to learn how to use the Stop Materia...who knows; maybe it will be enough to take down that blockhead of a SOLDIER! And on top of that, I need to master my swordskills for the SOLDIER exams!"_

"We don't have all day, people!" Harford said sternly, taking out the Stop blade. "Who's going to take this one or should I just take it myself?"

Without thinking further on it, Wedge stepped forward and threw a salute. His captain smiled, taking the sword out of the crate.

"More training for the SOLDIER examinations?"

"Sir! And for the benefit of my squad during this training, sir!" he exclaimed, receiving the weapon from him.

Harford nodded, handing the Stop blade to him. "Very good then. Good luck on those exams, soldier."

"Thank you, sir!" he answered before returning to the ranks.

"Now that we've distributed the weapons, get into your assigned squads!" Harford ordered and immediately, the ranks broke into one line with three members lined up behind their respective leaders.

Due to his outstanding performance in his recent missions, Wedge had been selected as one of the leaders and he smiled as he saw Biggs, Johnny, and a rookie infantryman named Hayner lined up in front of him. As they stood in attention, he glanced at the weapons each teammate had: Johnny had the poison rifle, Biggs with the Shocker baton, and Hayner with just a regular rifle.

_"Good. We're a balanced team. Nobody has two of the same weapon."_ Wedge thought, smirking. _"We may have a chance against a 1st Class..."_

As if on cue, a familiar voice called out to Harford and his soldiers. "Captain Harford, are you and your men ready 'cause some of us SOLDIERs here are itchin' for a good fight!" Everybody froze and turned to see Zack and his group of 3rd Class SOLDIERs assembled in ranks. Wedge noticed the line of infantryman standing at the front. _"I wonder if you get to join the SOLDIERs during training sessions once you qualify to be in the program?"_

"Ah, Zack! It's good to see you again!" Harford exclaimed as he went over to shake his hand. "So, you're finally a 1st. You've finally achieved your dream, huh?"

Zack laughed. "Nope! That's one of my dreams, but I'm still far from achieving my second dream and that is..." He placed his hands on his hips and nodded, smiling. "to become a hero!"

Harford patted him on the shoulder before walking back to the his men. "Sigh. Unattainable dreams are the best kind."

"Yup...wait, what!?" Zack choked as he watched him walk away laughing. "You're just like Lazard! Are you his clone or something!?"

Wedge was watching them, clenching his fist.

_"Think you're so high and mighty, Zack? Wait till we meet in battle!"

* * *

_

Thanks for reading! :) To be continued...


	12. Chapter 12

Thank you once again for the reviews and for putting this story under your Favorites list! This chapter isn't as long as the previous ones, but I hope the non-stop action makes up for its length! :)

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core

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* * *

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An Angel's Assistance

Zack stood there with his Buster Sword at the ready as ten more infantrymen surrounded him, training their guns at him. A shot was fired from behind and immediately, the SOLDIER spun around, causing the bullet to ricochet off it harmlessly.

"Heh! Is that all you've got!" he mocked, latching his sword and raising his fists. In response, all ten soldiers rushed at him, some taking out swords and other letting bullets fly. Zack easily took each one down; he kicked one square in the gut, jabbed another in the jaw, and roundhouse kicked another, knocking his helmet off. Two men who were lagging behind the others decided to come at him from either side with their fists raised in the air. Grinning, Zack rolled away quickly and the two knocked each other unconscious.

"Five down, five more to go!" Once more, he unlatched his sword to deflect more bullets and like a propellor, he swung the heavy weapon around, taking down two more infantrymen in the assault. Smirking, he stopped and held his weapon limply in his hand. His new Materia, Assault twister, worked perfectly, but it took all his strength to throw the blade around.

Seeing this as an opportunity, the two remaining soldiers opened fire. Zack was too fatigued to dodge and fell to one knee as some of the bullets scraped and tore his uniform.

_"This is not good." _he thought as he watched the two reload their rifles with the green-striped bullets-Poison cartridges. He won't be able to move around much if those bullets touched him...

"Aaargh!"

Zack looked in confusion as the two dropped to the floor. His jaw dropped in surprise as he saw Sephiroth.

"You lost your focus again. I told you not to use the Assault Twister without training." Sephiroth said, swinging the Masamune once and turning his back to the young SOLDIER.

"Yeah yeah! Hey is that all the infantrymen?" Zack asked half-irritatedly, standing and latching his weapon. He hated the fact that people were still criticizing him for his lack of focus even though he made 1st already. First Angeal and now Sephiroth...

Sephiroth turned to face him. "No, there is actually quite an impressive group of infantrymen taking down our 2nds and 3rds. You should be glad Hojo programmed the transmitter helmets to safety mode today or else you'd end up in the infirmary with all those infantrymen."

Silence followed the comment save for the plodding sound of their military boots hitting the steel floor and echoing throughout the room. Sephiroth turned his head slightly to glance at Zack who was now in deep thought. It was clear that mentioning the scientist's name would make him react this way...the girl had a special place in his heart...love. Facing forward, he decided to let his comrade dwell in his thoughts as they walked down the corridor.

* * *

"We have to hold on until the 1st Class SOLDIERS get here!" Cloud yelled over to his comrades. He and three other SOLDIERS in his squad had surrounded the last group of infantrymen. These four were proving to be a tough match; already, the small squad had wiped out their 3rd Class and had reduced their 2nds in half. Wedge, the leader of this squad, had his comrades use their upgraded batons, wanting to save the ammunition for his enemy.

"Wedge, we're running out of power on the batons! They won't have any effect except probably leave a few bruises on them!" Hayner cautioned as he smashed his baton into a SOLDIER at full power, sending stun waves throughout the enemy's helmet. The unfortunate man fell to the floor, knocked out senseless.

"Yeah, I know, but we can't waste all of our ammoon these buffoons!" Wedge reasoned.

"Argh!"

One of Wedge's comrades cried out as a 2nd managed to take him down with a Blast Wave Materia. The young cadet had fallen and went through the "Aborting Mission" phase which would take him back to the training room.

"Damn it!" Wedge cursed. Already, their defenses were weakening. In his anger, he rused into the crowd of SOLDIERs, releasing the rest of his remaining power on his baton. As he dashed by, he attacked any person in his way, ignoring the wounds inflicted upon him by Materia and blades alike.

"No!" Cloud yelled as he watched the SOLDIERs fall from the sudden onslaught. Before he could track Wedge down, the infantryman was behind him, ramming his weapon into his back and sending shockwaves through his spine. He fell on one knee, trying to steady himself as the last of the electricity coursed through him. The attack left him badly injured, but he wasn't about ready to give up...not when the SOLDIER program was within his reach. If he could pull through this, then he would probably be considered a worthy 3rd Class SOLDIER candidate and he would finally be able to fulfill his dream of becoming the strongest SOLDIER in the ranks...

"What the heck?" he heard a familiar voice exclaim. Looking up, he saw Zack and Sephiroth standing at the doorway on the opposite end of the room. Zack was watching the scene in total shock, but Sephiroth kept a straight face, not giving away any hint of what he was thinking at the moment.

"I'm impressed. All 2nds and 3rds gone fighting this measly trio? I should tell Lazard to increase SOLDIER training. This is utterly pathetic." Sephiroth commented, brandishing his Masamune. "Well in that case, let's see how they fair against us."

Wedge was catching his breath as he and his two comrades faced the 1st Class duo. Zack pulled out the mighty Buster Sword and took a stance. "Wedge...you're the one that came with us to Modeoheim."

Wedge stepped forward and pointed the now battered baton at him. "It's good that you remember who I am, despite my ranking...now I challenge you and only you!"

Zack lowered his sword and frowned, tugging at the collar of his shirt. "Wedge, can't you see the uniform? First Class!"

Sephiroth smirked at the boy's bravery. "If it is Zack you want to battle, then I shall stay out of it. I would like to see you three try to take a 1st Class down and if you manage to, Zack will be demoted to 3rd Class and the three of you will automatically be accepted into the SOLDIER program. I will personally see to that IF you manage to beat him."

"WHAT? Sephiroth, you can't be serious!" Zack exclaimed in disbelief. All these years he had worked to get to be 1st only to get his rank challenged by a few infantrymen?

"Zack, it would tarnish the program if word of you getting beaten down by three infantrymen gets to Lazard and the company itself." Sephiroth said. "Besides, you should be able to handle infantrymen quite easily. Don't tell me that all that training with Angeal was for nothing."

Zack swung his sword and shouldered it. "Of course not! Wedge and his buddies aren't going land a scratch on me at all!"

"He says that now, but I know he's too chicken to fight us!" Wedge chided. Zack had enough; in a flash, he was dashing towards the three, brandishing his sword.

"Wedge, you idiot!" Hayner yelled, grabbing his comrade by the scarf. "Do you have to be so stubborn!"

"Get off me! This is my fight!" Wedge yelled back, shoving him to the ground and throwing a smoke bomb on the floor in the process.

From a distance, Sephiroth saw the smoke and pulled out his phone, opening up the menu,. and scrolling down to the Abort Mission option. He looked at Cloud and the remaining 3rds still standing and watching the fight between Zack and the infantrymen.

"You heard what I was saying earlier. Consider this a tactics training mission and I'm ordering all 3rds to pull out. We've sent a 1st to neutralize the situation. Now follow orders and Abort Mission."

Every 3rd and participating SOLDIER candidate obeyed and pulled out their phones, selecting the Abort Mission option as well. In a matter of seconds, the room had emptied as Sephiroth, 3rds, and participating candidates disappeared to return back to the training room where they had activated the transmission helmets for training. Now the only people remaining were Zack and Wedge; Wedge's comrades had been taken down with a single Fira attack from the SOLDIER.

The smoke had cleared at this point and the two were at a sword lock. Zack was surprised that the infantryman had such strength to hold his sword out against his blade.

"For an infantryman, you're pretty impressive. I wouldn't be surprised if you got into the program a month from now" Wedge's arms were tiring out and soon, the Buster Sword's tremendous weight pushed his sword down to the ground. Dropping the sword, he jumped out of the falling blade's way and pulled out his rifle, firing at Zack's side which was wide open for an attack.

The SOLDIER countered easily with a Firaga spell, melting all the bullets in the air with fireballs. "It's gonna take more than a bunch of bullets to beat me!"

"A Buster Sword and some fancy Materia aren't going to be enough to defeat me either!" Wedge retorted, grabbing another sword lying nearby and dashing towards his opponent. Zack quickly lifted his sword and took a stance, grinning. This was going to be an interesting duel...

* * *

Hojo was sitting at his desk, looking through the manila folder labeled Nibelheim. Recently, he had a team of field researchers accompanied by a 2nd and a Turk go to the remote town and investigate the underground tunnel from the basement. The team had just returned from their investigation this morning, handing him the results in the manila folder he was currently reading. He grinned maliciously as he read about their findings.

"Underground laboratories...holding cells...examination tables...perfect. This will be an excellent area to hold the next phase of Project Cetra."

Adjusting his specatacles, he closed the folder and placed it in a small drawer underneath the desk, locking it up with a small key. "Now if only that SOLDIER boy were out of the way somehow...he always manages to meddle with the subject and ruin my research."

Standing up, he took the keycard from his labcoat pocket and walked to the elevator, swiping the card on its slot. "But that project can be postponed a bit further...at least until my research on that other specimen is done." Cackling, he entered the elevator that would take him to his laboratory

* * *

Zack removed his transmitter helmet and latched his Buster Sword on the metal clip. A few feet away from him stood Wedge who was looking at the now-broken sword in his hand before throwing it aside.

"Who am I kidding. I'm not ready to be a SOLDIER."

"What are you talking about?" Zack asked, placing his helmet among the others on a rack nearby. "You have shown a good display of combat tactics. You're head and shoulders above the rest!"

"Angeal doesn't think so. He thinks I lack more focus than you do."

"Is this what this whole thing's about?" Zack said, smiling. "Hey, no SOLDIER is perfect. We all have our strengths and weaknesses and all we gotta do is work on them. No wonder I sometimes see you training in the Training Room on the SOLDIER floor."

Wedge hung his helmet on the rack. "Yeah, I wanted to get into the program and rise up the ranks so I could travel outside of Midgar and not be stuck with security duty jobs. I even passed the physical and written part of the SOLDIER exams, but I don't understand why my officers won't promote me. What is it I'm missing?"

"Attitude." Zack answered almost immediately, his smile turning into a stern frown. "Although you're skilled in combat, you lack the right mindset. Sure you may have studied and trained well to pass those exams with flying colors, but can you apply all that you've learned into real missions? With the right attitude, you can focus better on the mission at hand. SOLDIER is not known for how many battles they have won, but how well they do the missions. You can take down a whole army, but if you don't meet the objectives of the mission, then it is a failed mission, no matter how many enemies you've taken down. Failed missions cost money, time, and most importantly...lives."

Zack's words sank into him and now he was slowly starting to realize his true goal of becoming a SOLDIER. "You're right. I've been so focused on impressing my officers that I lost track of my true goal and that's to help the company and the people of Midgar."

The SOLDIER nodded in response. "Yes, and remember to embrace your dreams and take pride of being a SOLDIER...well when you've gotten into the program, of course!"

Wedge laughed. "Thank you, 1st Class-" Zack raised a hand to stop him.

"Just call me Zack. No need for formalities. If anyone questions, just tell them I gave you permission to call me by my first name."

"Ok then, Zack." Just callling a superior officer by his first name felt strange to Wedge. "You better watch your back because when I become a SOLDIER, I'll be a 1st before you know it!"

"I'll be waiting and when that day comes, we'll have a duel to see who's the best 1st Class around!" Zack said, extending a fist for a fist bump.

"I'll be looking forward to that, Zack." Wedge replied, bumping his fist with him.

* * *

_Gunshots were heard all around. She opened her eyes to see nothing but darkness. Where in Gaia was she? This couldn't possibly be the Lifestream, could it? And why were gunshots being heard?_

_A cry of pain caused her to jump, startled. The gunshots ceased and there was silence that followed. She grumbled in frustration as she tried looking around for at least some source of light, but to no avail..._

_She heard the sound of footsteps getting louder and louder. Her heartbeat quickened at the sound of each step as it seemed like it was nearing her somewhere. She silently prayed to the Planet to protect her from any possible danger..._

_Then the footsteps stopped, but a loud click echoed throughout the area and at that moment, the world came to view. To her horror, the first thing in view was the black-stained interior of the end of a rifle. Judging from the uniform, it was someone from Shinra, but she couldn't tell who it was because of the helmet. Aside from the person, she could see nothing else. _

_The person was hesitant to pull the trigger and took a few moments, his rifle wavering slightly. Finally finding self-confidense in himself, he steadied his aim and pulled the trigger..._

Aerith let out a sharp gasp as she abruptly sat up on her bed, wide-eyed with terror. Looking around, she saw the furniture and decorations in her room. Glancing at the window, she saw the familiar steel structures of the slums and the flowers she had planted on the windowsill were blooming nicely.

"It was just a dream..." she breathed in relief. Immediately, her pounding heart began to slow its pace back to normal. Throwing the covers aside, she got out of bed and went to the mirror to fix her messily braided hair. As she fixed herself, she wondered about the nightmare...

Was the Planet trying to tell her something?

* * *

"Grr...come on Sephiroth! Pick up!"

Zack was back on the SOLDIER floor, sitting at the table by the window. He grumbled as he heard the voicemail and flipped his phone closed. Placing the device on the table, he returned to filling out Wedge's recommendation documents. A 2nd Class finished his conversation with a 3rd and joined Zack at the table.

"Let me guess, you're recommending that infantryman, Wedge, right?" he asked, sitting across from him.

"Yup, you guessed right." Zack answered without looking up or stopping. "By any chance, do you know where Sephiroth may be?"

"Mr. Sephiroth's in the data room, poring over old data. You won't be able to contact him since devices are not allowed in the data room. Don't ask me what he wants with old data because I don't know. You should know since you're a 1st. All I know is that an investigation's going on regarding Shinra's former scientist, Hollander."

At hearing the scientist's name, Zack placed the pen down and looked up. "Yup, and the rest of that info's confidential. Only 1st Class SOLDIERs, Turks, the Science Department, and the President himself are allowed access to it. But I'm surprised you already know that much."

The 2nd put his hands up. "I swear, I know nothing more than that. The media knows just as much as I do." He placed his hands behind his head. "Man, that training session we had was pretty different this time round, especially when Wedge and his squad came!"

"Yep, and that's why I think Wedge is ready for the SOLDIER program!" Zack said, straightening the papers. "He will be a great addition to our elite forces-uh, excuse me." The phone rang while he was talking.

"Zack speaking."

"Helloo!" Aerith's voice rang, making him smile.

"Hey, how are you?"

"Good. Are you busy at the moment?"

"Not at all, just ended a training session."

"Then let's make it!" she exclaimed. Zack scratched his head.

"Make wha-" His eyes lit up. "Oh! Right!"

"Have you forgotten about the flower wagon already?" Aerith questioned, hinting a tone of dejection in her voice.

"No, of course not." he replied, chuckling. "I'm on my way, okay?"

"Okay. I'll be waiting."

Zack closed the phone and put it in his pocket. The 2nd Class SOLDIER stood up from the bench.

"Seems like you have somewhere to go. Better do that now while you're on standby."

Zack turned to face him. "Yeah, I should. Thanks uh..."

"Luxiere, SOLDIER 2nd Class." he said, extending a hand. "And you don't have to tell me your name, Zack Fair."

Zack laughed. "I haven't been a 1st Class that long, you know?"

"It doesn't matter how long you've been a 1st. Word of someone getting promoted to the top rank spreads pretty quickly around Shinra, especially the SOLDIER program. Well, you have a good day and I'll catch you later."

"Same to you, Luxiere." They let go and the 2nd walked away, disappearing around the corner. With documents in hand, Zack headed towards the elevators

* * *

Sephiroth returned the data he was reading and headed towards the exit, grabbing his phone on the way out. Checking his phone, he saw at least 10 missed calls from Zack and 1 from Tseng.

"Sephiroth!" a voice called out from behind. Smiling, Sephiroth closed his eyes and snapped his phone shut.

"Angeal. After all this, you still remain with the company?"

"Although I am classified as KIA to the world, I will still hold true to my honor as SOLDIER."

"Angeal, you never cease to amuse me." Sephiroth said, facing him. "So, what's going on?"

"Tseng wants you and Zack to head to Junon and take out the Genesis clones there. Tseng will have more info for you on the way, but I heard Hollander's being kept in a detention facility there and the President wants him guarded by elite military personnel...meaning you and Zack. Hollander and the safety of Junon are the top priorities in this mission; if we're going to get answers from him, he needs to be kept safe and guarded."

"Have Zack take this mission. I'm sure one 1st Class, a bunch of 2nds and 3rds, and the Turks can keep an eye on one man. I need to go to the Shinra facility in Kalm to take care of something. Once I'm finished there, I'll take a helicopter to Junon and meet up with Zack. Is he on his way there?"

"No, he's on his way to meet up with the Ancient in Sector 5. I saw him board the train going there."

Sephiroth chuckled lightly. "So, Zack's been out of the building lately. He's been visiting that girl since the recent Genesis attacks." Shaking his head, he turned and started walking away from Angeal. "Anyways, tell him about the mission. I'm going to speak with Lazard about Genesis."

Silence followed those words and Sephiroth turned to see nothing except a few angel feathers and a thin stream of Mako trailing around them as they floated around. The General walked towards the scene, catching one of the feathers in his gloved hand.

"Angeal...What are you still doing on this Planet?"

* * *

Zack walked up the small steps, but stopped before the giant, wooden doors of the old church. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something felt out of place. It wasn't a bad feeling, but rather, a strange feeling as if a familiar presence was lurking around...

"Zack, we're needed in Junon." a monotonous voice said, breaking his thoughts. He turned around to see Tseng at the bottom of the steps, but faced away, waving the Turk off.

"Yeah, I know. Just give me a moment-"

"She's not there." Tseng said, cutting him off. Zack let go of the iron handle and faced him again.

"Well...if you know that she's not here, then would you know where she went?"

"Hojo will be here shortly and we're trying to avoid a conflict with him. Reno and Rude have Aerith and they're heading back to her house as we speak. They have taken a different route to evade that madman."

Zack raised an eyebrow, still suspicious of the Turk's reasoning. "How'd you know Hojo's coming?"

Tseng's mouth curled up into a small smile. "It's complicated...the chopper's here so let's get going. Don't worry about her; my men will keep her safe."

The young SOLDIER's spirits fell as he watched the aircraft approach them, blowing dust around the slums. He wondered if Tseng was telling the truth...was Hojo really coming to try and capture Aerith again? His conscience weighed heavily as he contemplated about leaving her, but he had to follow orders. But Turks, he knew, were really good at this kind of work so a simple escort couldn't be too hard for them. They were a trained and skilled force, like SOLDIERs.

"Zack, let's go. We have to get there as soon as possible." Tseng said before boarding the chopper. Zack looked at the wooden doors before turning heel and following him.

"Sigh...whaaatever!"

Both men hadn't noticed a white feather float and land softly at the top of the stairs...

* * *

"Tseng's gonna kill us yo!"

"..."

Reno, Rude, and Aerith were quietly waiting in the attic of the church. Downstairs, the voices of Hojo could be heard as the scientist angrily ordered his men to keep searching the area. Fortunately for the trio, the door to the attic was hidden behind one of the thinck curtains hanging from the wall and the door itself camouflaged with the wall. The infantrymen wouldn't be clever enough to notice it. The attic had an open view of the room below where Hojo and his soldiers were and Aerith's blood boiled at seeing the infantrymen trampling through her flowers, uprooting them and disturbing the soil.

"Alright, here's the plan, yo!" Reno whispered, digging into his coat pocket. "I'll make the distraction and you two get the hell outta here!"

"You'll get yourself killed if you fight all of them yourself, Reno!" Aerith gasped.

The red-haired Turk smirked, pulling out what looked like a smoke bomb from his pocket. "They won't be fighting...once this baby goes kaboom, they'll be gasping for air. Yo Rude, you managed to snag a gas mask from them?"

Rude simply pushed his sunglasses upward and held up the said mask with the other hand. Reno grinned as he took the mask and strapped it on.

"Gee, this mask's all scratched up. Well, it's not much of a surprise since this IS Hojo's gas mask. Okay, on my mark, get going, got it?"

One of the infantrymen was still searching among the flower patch, pulling the plants here and there. He heard something thud nearby, causing some of the flowers to sway slightly. He walked towards the area, clicking his rifle at the ready, but stopped as he noticed a cloud of fumes waft up into the air and start to spread around the room.

"You buffoon! What did you do?" Hojo yelled, noticing the smoke.

"S-sir...I didn't-oof!" the soldier's voice was cut off as a surge of electricity was heard.

"Someone's here! Find and arrest this-*cough*" Hojo could not continue as the fumes entered his nostrils. In a futile attempt, he swatted around at the offending gas.

"You're looking for someone?" Reno asked as he landed down on the soft soil and took out the rest of the infantrymen. He looked up momentarily to give a cue to Rude and Aerith above before continuing with his assault. "And this smoke's not going anytime soon! You see, this is a special smoke bomb, only used for neutralization missions!"

A safe distance from the commotion, Rude and Aerith snuck out from behind the curtain and headed for the door at the back of the church. A personal helicopter was outside the church. Aerith sat in Reno's seat as Rude sat in the other, starting the engine of the chopper.

"Are you sure Reno will be ok?" she asked him.

"There's no mission that's impossible for the Turks." Rude replied as he flipped several switches and pressed a button. Aerith's stomach plummeted a bit as she felt the aircraft begin to ascend. Rude pushed the throttle forward and the chopper flew off in the direction of her house.

"Wait...won't we be spotted?" Aerith questioned.

"Reno will handle things." he answered, but then the aircraft rocked violently.

"We've been spotted!" she exclaimed, looking out the window. Down below were a few Shinra infantrymen in a jeep, their comrades firing several rounds from their machine guns. Aerith yelped in surprise as one of the bullets cracked the window beside her. "Rude, what do we do?"

"Keep going."

"But if we keep going, they'll shoot us down!" she exclaimed as the chopper rocked once more. Looking down once more, she saw the infantrymen now have a rocket launcher. The situation was only going to get worst and she silently prayed to the Planet to guide her through this mess...

As if her prayers had been answered, the jeep below exploded...

Then Rude's phone rang. "Rude here."

Reno was on the other line. "Yo! What the hell's going on? I just heard an explosion and I look outside to see a bunch of smoke in the distance! Is the girl ok?"

"She is with me in the chopper. We were being chased down by Hojo's infantrymen, but then the vehicle they were riding in exploded."

"Strange...ok, just meet up at the girl's house. I'll try and find out what happened, yo!"

"Good. See you there." Rude closed his phone and returned it to his coat pocket. Without another word, he continued to guide the chopper towards Aerith's house. The girl didn't question the incident any further...she already knew...

* * *

"This baby will do nicely."

Reno took one of the infantrymen's motorcycles and started its engine. He smiled, revving the engine several times before riding away in the direction of the smoke coming from the explosion earlier. As he neared the site, he screeched the vehicle to a halt, his jaw gaping in shock.

"Whoa..." He got off the motorcycle and found one of the infantrymen lying nearby. Kneeling down, he checked for a pulse; it was faint. This person only had a few moments before passing on. Reno shook the guy slightly to get his attention.

"Hey, what the hell happened here?" He got out his electric rod and twirled it. "Talk or I'll put you out of your misery."

"S-some...guy with...an an angel wing..." he choked out. "He...used to be..." He let out a sigh and his head fell to one side limply.

"He used to be what?" Reno asked, shaking him. "Hey...hey!" He checked the pulse again and this time, there was none. "Damn it!" Standing up, he looked around; there were corpses of the infantryman's comrades strewn everywhere, debris and scrap metal were also laying about, some melting under the fire.

"Whoever did this must have some kinda grudge against Shinra." A small wind blew and he noticed a white, angel feather lying about which stirred under the breeze. He took it and looked up at the plate above him.

"Someone's paying Shinra and Hojo a special visit."

* * *

Thanks for reading! :) To be continued...


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